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WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  1923 


The  Story  of  a  Church 


A  HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH 

(Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South) 

AT 


PETERSBURG,  VIRGINIA 

1773  -  1923 

By 

/ 

P.  H.  DREWRY,  B.  A. 


COPYRIGHT.  1923 


By  P.  H.  DREWRY 


PUBLISHED  BY 

PLUMMER  PRINTING  CO..  INC. 
PETERSBURG.  VIRGINIA 


TO 


REV.  JOHN  B.  WINN,  D.  D. 

AND 

The  Board  of  Stewards  of  The  Church 

Whose  reference  to  me  of  this  interesting 
lab  or  of  love  is  as  highly  appreciated  as 
is  the  friendship  and  brotherly  affection 
they  have  continually  bestowed  upon  me 
during  my  many  unworthy  years, 

This  Book  is  Dedicated. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/storyofchurchhisOOdrew 


PREFACE 


AT  a  Church  Conference,  held  in  Washington 
Street  Church  on  July  24,  1921,  a  resolution  was 
L  adopted  asking  that  I  prepare  a  sketch  of  the 
church  showing  the  part  it  had  played  in  Methodism, 
for  use  at  the  celebration  of  the  150th  anniversary 
of  Methodism  in  Petersburg.  The  task  was  accepted 
with  diffidence,  but  with  a  feeling  that  such  a  duty 
could  not  be  shirked. 

It  was  not  the  original  intention  of  the  author  to 
make  such  an  extended  work,  but  as  the  field  was 
searched,  the  data  began  to  pile  up,  until  it  was 
almost  overwhelming;  yet  it  seemed  more  and  more 
imperative  that  the  material  so  collected  should  be 
compiled  in  order  that  the  members  of  this  church 
and  Methodists  in  general  should  be  made  familiar 
with  the  accomplishments  of  this  chapter  of  the  De¬ 
nomination. 

Washington  Street  Church  is  the  direct  out-growth 
of  the  formation  of  the  first  Society  in  1773,  and 
it  is  the  parent  Church  of  Methodism  in  Peters¬ 
burg.  In  addition,  it  was  from  this  beginning  there 
was  scattered  the  seed  of  Methodist  belief  over 
Southside  Virginia.  In  Washington  Street  Church 
were  held  some  of  the  meetings  of  the  First  Confer¬ 
ence  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.  It  is  a  wonderful 
story,  but  far  beyond  the  humble  powers  of  the 
author  to  give  it  the  description  it  requires. 

However,  the  duty  has  been  fulfilled,  though 
poorly,  to  the  best  of  my  ability  in  the  limited  time 
at  my  disposal  and  with  a  press  of  other  wTork  claim¬ 
ing  my  attention.  There  was  no  precedent  to  guide. 
So  far  as  the  author  knows  it  is  the  first  time  that  a 
church  in  Southern  Methodism  has  attempted  to 


8 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


trace  so  fully  its  connection  from  the  beginning  with 
the  history  of  the  organization.  It  may  be  unique 
also  in  that  this  sketch  has  been  drawn  from  many 
sources,  every  thread  converging  to  the  particular 
subject,  the  centrepiece  of  which  is  the  story  of  the 
building  which  its  members  love,  and  of  the  men  and 
women  who  made  it,  whose  memories  are  very  dear. 
Necessarily  therefore  it  is  a  compilation  in  the  main. 
Much  of  the  general  history  herein  contained  is  from 
Bang’s  “History  of  the  M.  E.  Church”,  Dixon’s 
“Methodism  in  America”,  Asbury’s  “Journal,”  Lee’s 
“Short  History  of  the  Methodists”,  Steven’s  “History 
of  the  Methodist  Church”,  LeRoy  Lee’s  “Life  and 
Times  of  Jesse  Lee”,  Redford’s  “History  of  the  Or¬ 
ganization  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South”,  Alexander’s 
“History  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South”,  McTyeire’s  “'A 
History  of  Methodism”,  Bennett’s  “Memorials  of 
Methodism”,  Parham’s  “Methodism  in  Petersburg”, 
the  Journals  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  the  minutes  of  the  Virginia  Conference,  the 
recorded  minutes  of  Washington  Street  Church,  the 
old  records  of  the  City  of  Petersburg,  and  news¬ 
paper  references,  and  verbal  statements  from  citi¬ 
zens  of  Petersburg. 

The  personal  sketches  had  to  be  brief.  Indebted¬ 
ness  is  acknowledged  to  friends  and  relatives  of  the 
subjects,  whose  written  data  has  been  inserted  at 
times  with  little  editing. 

The  author  wishes  to  thank  Dr.  J.  B.  Winn  and 
Dr.  F.  L.  Wells  for  advice  and  friendly  interest;  also 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Hays,  whose  help  has  been  invaluable  in 
research  and  the  compilation  of  data  concerning  the 
Pastors  and  Stewards;  and  Mr.  W.  A.  Williamson, 
who  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  reference  to 
the  Sunday  School  work;  and  Miss  Ruth  Blanks  for 
help  in  the  work  of  the  Missionary  Societies,  and 
Dr.  T.  McN.  Simpson,  Jr.,  of  Randolph-Macon  Col¬ 
lege  for  assistance  in  obtaining  certain  information 
about  the  Methodist  Church. 

Petersburg,  Va.,  October  31st,  1923. 

P.  H.  DREWRY. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I . Page  11 

A  Church,  and  its  Members. 

CHAPTER  II . Page  18 

Methodism  in  America. 

CHAPTER  III . Page  33 

Methodism  in  Virginia. 

CHAPTER  IV . Page  38 

Methodism  in  Petersburg — 1773. 

CHAPTER  V . Page  47 


The  Meeting  Place  on  Old  Street  (1773 
to  1775).  The  Meeting  House  on  Har¬ 
rison  Street  (1775  to  1781).  The  Meet¬ 
ing  House  on  Market  Street  (1788  to 
1818).  Francis  Asbury  in  Petersburg 
(1773  to  1816). 

CHAPTER  VI . Page  63 

Union  Street  Church — 1818  to  1842. 

CHAPTER  VII . Page  81 

Washington  Street  Church — 1842  to  1923. 

CHAPTER  VIII . Page  115 

List  of  Pastors  from  1773  to  1923 — 
Sketches. 

LIST  OF  STEWARDS . Page  180 

List  of  Stewards  from  1773  to  1923 — 

Sketches. 

ILLUSTRATIONS : 

Washington  Street  Church — 1923 .  Page  2 

Meeting  House  on  Market  Street — 1788  to 

1818 .  Page  46 

Union  Street  Church — 1818  to  1842 .  Page  62 

Washington  Street  Church — 1842  to  1890  Page  80 
Washington  Street  Church— 1890 .  Page  114 


CHAPTER  I. 


A  Church  and  its  Members 

HE  word  “Church”  is  used  in  a  double  sense 


not  only  to  apply  to  the  building,  but  to  the 


congregation ;  and  the  “building  of  it”  not  only 
to  the  physical  structure  but  to  the  continuation  of 
the  membership  and  their  growth  in  things  spiritual. 

It  is  .the  building  used  for  Christian  worship,  and 
it  is  the  Christian  community  itself. 

The  history  of  Washington  Street  Church  is  a  his¬ 
tory  of  both  the  building  or  buildings,  and  those 
who  worshipped  in  them.  It  must  necessarily  also 
be  a  history  of  the  locality,  in  that  it  refers  to  the 
people  of  the  town,  and  the  work  they  did. 

Washington  Street  Church,  in  its  houses  of  wor¬ 
ship,  indicates  the  growth  of  Petersburg — its  pros¬ 
perity — its  fluctuation  in  land  values — its  increase  of 
population  and  the  change  in  its  territory.  It  also 
exemplifies  in  its  worshippers  the  spirit  of  the  men 
who  made  the  town — who  increased  its  prosperity — 
who  built  it  up — who  enlarged  its  trade — who  made 
it  grow. 

In  mediaeval  times  churches  were  built  not  for  the 
needs  of  the  population,  but  according  to  the  wealth 
and  piety  of  their  founders.  Many  motives  actuated 
them — maybe  they  were  built  as  acts  of  propitiation, 
or  possibly  with  the  idea  of  perpetuating  the  names 
of  the  founders,  or  to  outdo  their  rivals.  As  religion 


12 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


became  more  simplified,  churches  were  less  orna¬ 
mental  and  more  utilitarian.  In  modern  times,  the 
church  building  is  intended  to  be  consonant  with  the 
needs  of  the  community.  Nevertheless  in  some  of 
our  large  modern  structures  the  old  idea  seems  to 
have  a  recurrence. 

The  physical  structure  is  “The  Lord’s  House”  and 
is  built  for  the  Glory  of  God.  Someone  has  said  it 
is  “a  petrification  of  the  beliefs  and  ideals”  of  the 
builders.  Perhaps  it  is  and  yet  it  is  more  than  a 
“petrification”,  let  us  hope — a  great  deal  more  than 
“a  tall  building  with  a  tower  and  bells”.  Certainly 
such  a  thought  cannot  be  laid  at  the  doors  of  the 
Methodist  congregations  that  ended  in  Washington 
Street  Church.  The  structures  were  laid  with  piety, 
and  the  wealth  that  made  possible  the  enlargement 
for  better  work  was  sought  and  paid  that  the  good 
work  might  go  on.  Piety  raised  the  hallowed  walls, 
even  though  money  was  necessarily  put  into  its  build¬ 
ing.  God  only  knows  the  sacrifices  made  by  the 
builders,  and  only  God  sees  the  tears  that  sometimes 
watered  the  cement  in  the  walls.  The  stone  bought 
with  the  contribution  of  the  widow  is  stronger  than 
the  marble  pillars  of  the  man  of  wealth.  The 
Church  that  endures  is  the  Church  built  by  many 
and  not  the  Church  erected  with  the  means  of  a  few. 

A  Church,  in  its  physical  aspect,  is  unlike  that 
of  any  other  structure.  Involuntarily  the  hand 
goes  to  the  head,  and  removes  its  covering,  upon 
entering  the  building.  This  simple  act  of  rev¬ 
erence  acknowledges  the  spiritual  atmosphere. 
There  is  no  such  feeling  existent  in  removing  the 
hat  in  any  other  building.  Angels’  wings  have  per¬ 
haps  fanned  the  air  here,  or  perhaps  souls  in  anguish 
have  here  bared  themselves  to  Almighty  God  and 
found  peace  from  their  unworthiness.  Admiration 
is  given  to  noble  architectural  works,  whose  columns 
possess  you  with  their  grandeur  and  beauty,  but 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  13 


here  you  look  at  “spires  whose  silent  finger  points 
to  heaven”.  The  mansions  of  the  great,  the  coli¬ 
seums  and  pyramids  tower  beyond  your  imagination ; 
the  great  theatres  of  amusement  and  the  wonderful 
assembly  places  of  the  peoples  of  the  world  enthrall 
you  with  their  magnificence;  but  even  the  simplest 
place  of  worship  takes  you  beyond  yourself  into  the 
awe  of  “The  Beyond”. 

The  community  religious  life  is  social  and  the 
church  building  was  intended  to  house  those  of  the 
same  religious  convictions — a  spiritual  society.  This 
was  especially  the  strong  conviction  of  “those  called 
Methodists”.  They  had  no  church  buildings  and  their 
preachers  spoke  in  the  open,  being  much  criticised 
thereby.  John  Wesley  had  a  strong  aversion  to 
preaching  out  doors,  but  finally  concluded  that  it  was 
best,  for  it  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  get  a  larger 
audience.  As  soon,  however,  as  it  was  possible  his 
“societies”  leased  halls  or  rooms,  mainly  to  have 
shelter  in  case  of  inclement  weather,  and  then  began 
to  erect  buildings  suitable  for  their  purposes.  As 
the  needs  of  the  church  grew  for  other  purposes 
than  an  auditorium,  such  as  Sunday  s'chool  rooms, 
class  rooms,  etc.,  church  buildings  were  enlarged  to 
accommodate  the  growing  needs  and  uses  of  the 
church  community. 

The  early  Methodist  churches  in  Petersburg  were 
not  ornate  buildings,  with  colored  light  streaming 
through  stained  glass  and  tinting  pew  and  pulpit. 
Nor  were  the  pews  and  pulpits  carved  or  elaborated. 
Everything  was  of  the  simplest. 

“But  such  plain  roofs  as  piety  could  raise 
And  only  vocal  with  the  Maker’s  praise.” 

Methodism  was  a  revulsion  to  a  more  simple  and 
purely  religious  manner  of  preaching  the  gospel,  and 
its  followers  shunned  all  things  that  partook  of 
decoration.  Naturally  this  idea  was  extended  to 
their  places  of  worship.  It  may  be  suggested  here 


14 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


that  great  manifestations  of  religious  feeling  are  not 
heard  of  in  the  highly  decorated  churches  of  today 
as  they  were  in  the  plain  meeting  houses  of  olden 
time. 

The  first  Methodist  church  of  Petersburg  and  the 
beautiful  structure  which  was  its  outgrowth,  now 
known  as  Washington  Street,  was  an  exemplification 
of  spiritual  enthusiasm  spending  itself  in  giving  its 
money  to  provide  a  place  for  continued  future  use¬ 
fulness.  It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  “meeting  place”  on 
Old  Street  to  Washington  Street  Church,  one  of  the 
best  equipped  churches  in  Southern  Methodism,  a 
cry  that  has  rung  down  the  years  for  a  century  and 
a  half,  but  from  the  first  beginning  to  the  present 
time  there  has  always  been  the  same  spirit  of 
earnestness. 

The  people  who  composed  the  early  Methodist 
churches  of  Petersburg  were  mainly  merchants  and 
people  in  the  middle  walks  of  life.  The  rich  planters 
and  the  wealthy  people  were  Episcopalians.  In  fact 
there  was  no  Methodist  organization  at  all  until 
1773.  Prior  to  that  time  there  was  only  one  church 
and  that  was  Episcopalian. 

Two  business  men  of  Petersburg  introduced  Meth¬ 
odism  in  Petersburg.  They  gathered  around  them 
other  business  men  and  pious  women.  From  that 
time  to  this,  the  history  of  this  church  has  been  and 
is  the  history  of  the  same  class  of  people,  the  faith¬ 
ful  and  the  meek,  carrying  on  their  business  six  days 
and  on  the  seventh  coming  together  to  worship  in 
their  own  way  according  to  their  own  beliefs  in  a 
building  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God.  They 
realized  then  as  it  is  realized  now  that  a  church  was 
necessary  for  their  services.  No  doubt  they  were 
helped  in  erecting  the  building  by  many  who  were 
not  church-goers.  It  seems  that  non-members  should 
be  glad  to  contribute  to  the  building  of  a  church.  Its 
uses  are  so  varied  and  so  public  that  it  becomes  a 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  15 


community  building  from  the  time  it  is  erected.  Pub¬ 
lic  gatherings  for  social  and  even  business  purposes 
may  take  place  here;  in  times  of  great  public  cala¬ 
mity  or  stress  first  of  all  the  people  turn  to  the 
churches  and  their  doors  have  been  thrown  open  to 
the  sick  and  the  wounded ;  in  times  of  starvation,  the 
church  is  the  centre  of  relief ;  in  days  of  thanksgiv¬ 
ing,  the  people  turn  to  the  church.  To  the  individual 
it  plays  as  great  a  part  in  his  life — his  baby  eyes  open 
in  its  shaded  light  at  his  christening;  the  sorrows  of 
his  life  are  here  experienced  as  his  tears  fall  un¬ 
ashamed  at  the  burial  services  of  a  friend  or  loved 
one;  here  are  spoken  the  words  that  bind  him  to  the 
chosen  one  of  his  heart.  The  man  is  negligent  in¬ 
deed  who  fails  to  realize  the  part  the  church  build¬ 
ing  plays  in  his  life,  whether  he  be  a  member  or  not, 
and  the  man  is  stingy  or  thoughtless  who  fails  to  give 
to  a  church, — he  never  knows  when  he  may  accept 
of  its  use. 

The  congregations  of  those  days  were  not  unlike 
those  of  today.  There  were  more  women  than  men, 
as  is  shown  by  the  rosters.  Generally  speaking  this 
is  probably  true  now.  There  were  people  of  all 
walks  of  life  from  every  profession  and  class  and 
from  many  places.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  also 
that  there  were  present  not  only  those  who  were 
thinking  of  their  sins,  but  some  who  were  consider¬ 
ing  their  own  clothes  as  well  as  those  of  others. 
Human  nature  evidences  itself  in  church  as  well  as 
in  the  theatre.  There  were  times  of  great  mani¬ 
festations  of  religious  feeling  and  other  periods 
wrhen  such  manifestations  almost  disappeared.  There 
were  present  attentive  listeners  to  the  preacher’s 
discourse  and  faithful  worshippers;  there  were  also 
present  some  who  paid  more  attention  to  the  per¬ 
sonal  appearance  of  the  people  in  the  church  than 
they  did  to  the  service. 


16 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


The  lives  of  the  men  and  women  that  go  to  make 
up  a  church  are  continually  passing  away,  yet  the 
church  goes  on.  The  church  is  greater  than  the 
membership  and  greater  than  the  pastors  who  serve 
it.  Sometimes,  it  would  be  advantageous  for  both 
to  remember  that  the  church  is  above  the  preacher 
or  the  layman.  When  the  time  comes  that  the  in¬ 
terests  of  any  church  however  humble  are  made  sub¬ 
servient  to  the  individual  interests  of  a  minister  or 
set  of  ministers,  seeking  to  promote  their  own  per¬ 
sonal  ambitions,  then  churches  are  dead.  There  is 
too  much  talk  at  the  Conferences  about  “church  poli¬ 
tics”  for  the  churches  to  prosper  as  they  should 
either  in  the  sight  of  God  or  man.  A  similar  idea 
applies  to  the  laymen.  There  have  been  times  when 
a  church  has  so  lost  its  spiritual  character  as  merely 
to  be  known  as  the  place  of  worship  attended  by 
“Brother  So-and-So”,  usually  the  man  who  gives  the 
most  money  to  its  upkeep  and  maintenance  and  arro¬ 
gates  to  himself  the  right  to  control  everything  con¬ 
nected  with  it. 

It  may  be  well  to  recall  those  well  known  lines  of 
Pope : 

“Who  builds  a  church  to  God  and  not  to  fame 
Will  never  mark  the  marble  with  his  name.” 

The  History  of  a  Church!  To  be  properly  done  it 
would  have  to  be  inscribed  by  the  pen  of  a  Dante, 
moved  by  a  fiery  imagination  of  the  good  and  the 
bad,  with  the  charitable  genius  of  a  Milton  flowing 
therefrom.  The  task  is  beyond  the  feeble  powers  of 
a  layman,  even  though  he  be  possessed  of  a  love  for 
his  fellow-man  as  well  as  for  the  sacred  edifice.  For 
the  story  of  a  church  is  not  merely  the  story  of  wood 
and  brick  and  stone  and  mortar  placed  here  or  there 
by  the  hand  of  skilful  workmen ;  nor  is  it  the  story  of 
the  physical  lives  of  men  and  women  who  gathered 
together  merely  for  worship.  The  Story  of  a  Church 
is  the  story  of  a  soul,  nay  even  more,  for  there  could 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  17 


hardly  be  a  composite  soul — it  is  the  story  of  souls. 
The  story  of  the  life  of  a  church  is  the  story  of  the 
spiritual  life  of  its  members  on  earth,  as  that  life  is 
quickened  and  nurtured  by  the  Grace  of  God  which 
is  manifest  in  Jesus  Christ. 

“The  Story  of  the  Souls” — it  grips  your  imagina¬ 
tion,  it  seizes  you  in  a  tightening  hold,  not  to  be 
broken.  Not  the  story  of  men  marked  by  other  men 
to  shine  in  light,  nor  those  predestined  to  stand  forth 
in  the  gaze  of  multitudes,  but  the  story  of  the  souls  of 
everyday  men  and  women.  Men  and  women  who 
desired  to  “do  their  bit”  for  humanity  before  they 
“passed  on”  and  in  so  doing  to  feel  that  they  had 
made  some  amends  for  evil  done ;  men  and  women 
blundering  and  stumbling  to  a  better  world,  falling 
and  rising  again,  and  thanking  God  that  they  could 
rise  in  His  temple,  if  even  for  a  brief  space,  out  of 
darkness  into  light. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Methodism  in  America 

A  MEMBER  of  Washington  Street  Church  is  a 
Methodist  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
L  South. 

Methodism  is  an  expression  to  denote  the  religious 
organizations  which  follow  the  evangelistic  teach¬ 
ings  of  John  Wesley.  A  “Methodist”  is  one  who  is 
governed  by  a  method,  a  rule;  and  was  given  orig¬ 
inally  as  a  nickname  to  Wesley  and  some  fellow- 
students  at  Oxford  College  in  1729,  who  met  to¬ 
gether  for  mutual  assistance  in  the  pursuit  of  their 
studies,  and  religious  duties,  and  who  regulated  their 
work  by  certain  rules. 

It  is  clear  that  Wesley  in  the  beginning  did  not 
intend  to  found  a  new  church.  He  accepted  the 
doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England,  but  he  taught 
them  in  a  new  way,  insisting  with  zeal  and  intense 
earnestness  upon  the  personal  influence  of  these  doc¬ 
trines  on  the  inner  life  and  spirit  of  the  members  of 
the  organization.  The  Church  of  England  in  its 
insistence  upon  the  form  had  lost  some  of  the  spirit 
of  personal  religion,  and  Wesley  and  his  followers 
finding  the  established  churches  closed  to  them, 
preached  anywhere  they  could  get  an  audience, 
mostly  out  of  doors,  which  was  contrary  to  the  gen¬ 
eral  practice.  Their  members,  without  ordination  as 
preachers,  were  allowed  to  exhort  and  preach  lo- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  19 


cally.  “Class  Meetings”  were  established  and  mem¬ 
bership  in  the  church  became  fixed,  upon  acceptance 
of  membership  in  a  Society. 

Methodism  had  many  converts  and  spread  through 
most  parts  of  England  and  Ireland,  and  then  to 
America. 

In  making  this  summary  of  Methodism  in  America 
no  attempt  will  be  made  to  go  into  the  political 
history  of  the  church  further  than  in  the  most  gen¬ 
eral  manner,  for  the  purpose  of  this  work  is  to  pay 
more  attention  to  the  individual  elements  composing 
the  organization;  to  show  the  characteristics  of  the 
Methodists  of  earlier  days;  to  delineate  the  pur¬ 
poses  which  actuated  them;  thereby  giving  an  in¬ 
sight  into  their  lives  and  work.  Herein  will  be  set 
out  the  “little  things” — the  union  of  which  makes 
the  mainsprings  of  historic  action. 

The  same  method  will  be  pursued  in  the  general 
account  of  Methodism  in  Virginia. 

Naturally  with  that  end  in  view  more  considera¬ 
tion  must  be  given  the  beginnings  and  special  hap¬ 
penings  than  the  general  progress  of  the  church. 

Methodism  in  America  originated  in  the  hearts 
and  actions  of  emigrants  from  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  who  found  themselves  in  this  new  country 
without  any  religious  organization.  They  formed 
themselves  into  classes  and  met  for  worship  at  their 
homes;  until  their  enlarged  membership  demanded 
more  commodious  quarters  for  the  congregation. 
The  first  Society  was  in  New  York  City.  It  is  true 
John  Wesley,  nearly  thirty  years  before  the  above 
occurrence,  had  formed  a  society  in  Savannah,  but 
this  Society  had  dissolved  after  Wesley’s  departure, 
and  there  was  no  complete  organization  until  Philip 
Embury  became  the  real  founder  of  Methodism  in 
his  efforts  at  an  organization  in  New  York.  Capt. 
Webb,  who  had  come  from  England,  assisted  Em¬ 
bury,  and  soon  they  wrote  to  Wesley  and  asked  that 


20 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


he  would  send  ministers  over  to  them.  The  first 
Methodist  Church  in  America  was  erected  in  New 
York  City  in  1768  by  these  earnest  people  but 
a  “meeting  house”  had  been  built  in  Maryland 
about  1764.  It  was  a  big  undertaking  for  them. 
As  was  said  by  a  later  writer,  “Then  the  building 
of  a  Church  in  honor  of  the  Supreme  Being  was 
everywhere  considered  to  be  a  momentous  under¬ 
taking,  and  not  as  it  seems  to  be  at  present,  a 
business  of  ordinary  consideration.”  This  obser¬ 
vation  might  apply  to  modern  times,  when  it  occa¬ 
sionally  seems  that  such  structures  are  erected 
without  even  “ordinary  consideration”.  So  far  has 
this  excitement  in  building  gone  that  only  recently  a 
Methodist  Bishop  referred  to  it  as  “an  orgy  of  church 
building”.  “Too  much  building  of  fine  churches  will 
become  a  damnation  instead  of  an  inspiration,”  said 
the  Bishop,  “if  we  lose  sight  of  our  real  duty  to  God 
and  to  humanity.”  One  of  the  members  of  this  con¬ 
gregation  in  writing  to  Wesley  for  a  preacher  asked 
that  he  send  “a  man  of  wisdom,  of  sound  faith,  and 
a  good  disciplinarian,  one  whose  heart  and  soul  are 
in  the  work”  and  he  very  ingenuously  continued  “with 
respect  to  money  for  the  payment  of  the  preacher’s 
passage  over  if  they  could  not  procure  it,  we  would 
sell  our  coats  and  shirts  to  procure  it  for  them”.  In 
response  to  this  appeal  Mr.  Wesley  sent  Messrs. 
Boardman  and  Pillmore  in  1769,  but  history  is  silent 
as  to  the  necessity  of  the  deprivation  of  the  coats  and 
shirts  of  their  auditors.  Others  soon  followed  and 
societies  were  formed  in  Maryland  and  other  places. 
Then  circuits,  were  established  in  various  parts  of 
the  United  States  as  soon  as  preachers  could  be  ob¬ 
tained  for  them.  Among  these  were  Francis  Asbury 
and  Richard  Wright,  and  these  men  labored  from 
New  York,  through  Maryland,  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina.  Asburv’s  Journal  says  that  when  he  ar¬ 
rived  in  America  in  1771  he  found  300  Methodists  in 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  21 


New  York,  250  in  Philadelphia  and  a  few  in  New 
Jersey. 

Mr.  Pillmore  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wesley  in  1769 
in  which  he  said,  “Here  seems  to  be  a  great  and  ef¬ 
fectual  door  opening  in  this  country.  The  people  in 
general  like  to  hear  the  word  and  seem  to  have  some 
ideas  of  salvation  by  grace”. 

This  English  preacher,  who  could  not  stand  the 

4 

strain  of  the  Revolution,  was  correct  in  saying  that 
Methodism,  with  its  own  methods  of  religious  work 
was  in  favor  in  the  new  country.  It  was  especially 
adapted  to  American  territory  at  that  time.  The 
itinerant  ministry  of  Methodism  met  the  need  of  the 
hour  in  America.  The  country  was  thinly  settled 
and  there  were  few  opportunities  for  religious  ser¬ 
vice  on  the  frontiers  of  civilization.  The  Methodists 
divided  up  the  land  into  circuits,  hundreds  of  miles 
in  extent,  and  sent  their  traveling  evangelists  for¬ 
ward  as  fast  as  the  pioneers  themselves  went  through 
the  uncivilized  forests.  With  the  organization  then 
formed  into  local  “societies,”  the  class  leaders  and 
Lay  Preachers  kept  it  intact  for  the  return  of  the 
Evangelistic  preachers.  The  people  were  pioneers 
in  a  new  world,  and  there  were  lacking  the  luxuries 
of  civilization;  the  Methodist  preachers  were  pio¬ 
neers  of  a  new  method  of  religious  procedure,  seeing 
not  the  necessity  for  any  “frills”  either  in  form,  or 
substance.  The  two  forces,  one  economic  and  politi¬ 
cal,  the  other  religious,  met  on  common  ground. 
There  were  no  churches  in  the  wilderness,  so  they 
prayed  and  sang  in  the  cabins;  if  there  were  no 
cabins,  an  old  stump  did  for  a  platform  and  there 
was  no  hindrance  to  the  ascent  of  the  prayer  under 
God’s  sky.  Simple  and  plain  men  preaching  simply 
and  plainly  to  simple  and  plain  people  an  easily 
understood  religion.  The  earnestness  and  sincerity 
of  these  evangelists  in  preaching  their  Gospel  was 
evidenced  by  their  manner  of  life  and  their  willing- 


22 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


ness  to  share  the  privations  of  the  people  unto  whom 
they  ministered.  Of  course,  they  had  power  to  sway 
their  audiences.  Men  who  were  so  earnestly  im¬ 
bued  with  a  desire  to  save  the  souls  of  their  fellow- 
men,  even  in  those  days,  did  not  go  into  the  outposts 
of  civilization  and  brave  all  the  dangers  of  un¬ 
traveled  forests  merely  for  $64  a  year.  So  their 
earnestness  impressed  these  earnest  builders  of  a 
new  nation  and  their  societies  increased  in  numbers 
and  influence,  their  circuits  were  extended  and  new 
ones  created,  and  the  Methodists  must  look  to  the 
broadening  of  their  system.  How  simply  but  power¬ 
fully  they  formed  their  organization !  It  stands  to¬ 
day  the  most  powerful  politically-efficient  organiza¬ 
tion  in  the  United  States.  Churches,  Circuits,  Quar¬ 
terly  Conferences,  District  Conferences,  Annual  Con¬ 
ferences,  Quadrennial  Conferences;  members  and 
preachers,  and  Presiding  Elders  and  Bishops;  a  con¬ 
tinuity  of  movement,  never-ceasing,  restless,  elastic, 
energetic  and  earnest.  The  itinerant  system  of  the 
Methodist  Church  made  the  church — it  was  suited  to 
the  times.  Whether  it  should  be  made  more  elastic 
in  its  form  at  this  time  is  a  much  argued  question. 
The  elasticity  of  one  period  may  become  rigidity  in 
another. 

The  societies  in  America  were  governed  by  the 
same  rules  as  those  in  England,  drawn  up  by  Wesley, 
and,  with  only  few  changes,  still  govern  the  members 
of  the  church.  It  might  be  profitable,  anyhow  in¬ 
teresting,  to  set  down  a  few  of  these  rules  in  the 
language  of  that  early  day. 

“By  doing  no  harm,  by  avoiding  evil  of  every 
kind,  such  as — 

The  profaning  the  day  of  the  Lord,  either  by 
doing  ordinary  work  thereon  or  by  buying  or 
selling. 

The  giving  or  taking  things  on  usury. 

Uncharitable  or  unprofitable  conversation. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  23 


Doing  what  we  know  is  not  for  the  glory  of 
God :  As — 

The  putting  on  of  gold  or  costly  apparel. 

Softness  and  needless  self-indulgence. 

Borrowing  without  a  probability  of  paying; 
or  taking  up  goods  without  a  probability  of  pay¬ 
ing  for  them. 

By  doing  good,  especially  to  them  that  are  of 
the  household  of  faith,  or  groaning  so  to  be; 
employing  them  preferably  to  others,  buying 
one  of  another,  helping  each  other  in  business. 

Carefully  to  abstain  from  doing  evil;  in  par¬ 
ticular  to  taste  no  spirituous  liquor,  nor  dram  of 
any  kind,  unless  prescribed  by  a  physician. 

To  pawn  nothing. 

Not  to  mention  the  fault  of  any  behind  his 
back,  and  to  stop  those  short  that  do.” 

To  return  to  the  discussion  of  the  itinerant  system, 
it  has  been  noted  that  Francis  Asbury  was  sent  over 
by  Mr.  Wesley  in  1771.  Then  he  was  created  Assis¬ 
tant,  and  General  Assistant,  and  Superintendent  and 
when  the  name  of  the  office  was  changed  he  became 
Bishop  along  with  Bishop  Coke.  He  became  the 
leader  of  the  church  and  by  his  energy,  executive 
ability,  and  zeal  the  organization  began  to  grow  by 
leaps  and  bounds. 

At  the  First  Conference  held  in  Philadelphia  in 
1773,  there  were  ten  travelling  preachers  and  six  cir¬ 
cuits  with  a  membership  as  follows: 

New  York,  one  hundred  and  eighty;  New  Jersey, 
two  hundred;  Philadelphia,  one  hundred  and  eighty; 
Maryland,  five  hundred;  Norfolk  and  Petersburg 
(Virginia)  one  hundred;  total  membership,  eleven 
hundred  and  sixty. 

At  the  Second  Conference  in  1774  there  were 
seventeen  travelling  preachers,  ten  circuits  and  two 
thousand  and  seventy-three  members. 


24 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


In  1784  was  held  the  Thirteenth  Conference,  or 
the  First  General  Conference,  and  there  was  formed 
the  regular  church  with  the  name  of  The  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  This  step  was  so  important  that 
further  notice  should  be  taken  of  it.  Prior  to  this 
time  the  organization,  as  has  been  seen,  consisted  of 
loosely-united  “societies’’  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  subject  to  the  orders  of  Wesley  in  England. 
The  original  intention  was  to  make  Methodism  in 
America  one  large  “society’’ — not  a  church;  but  the 
spirit  of  independence  was  too  strong  in  America 
for  any  kind  of  British  domination — even  religious. 
The  storm  of  revolution  had  been  gathering  since 
1765  and  it  broke  at  Lexington  ten  years  later.  From 
the  beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  War  until  the 
independence  of  the  United  States  was  acknow¬ 
ledged  by  Great  Britain  in  1783  by  the  Treaty  of 
Paris,  the  Methodists  had  proceeded  with  their 
work,  and  had  carried  through  successfully  large  re¬ 
vivals,  even  though  the  war  occasioned  interruptions 
in  certain  places.  It  is  a  wonderful  commentary 
upon  the  spirit  of  the  American  people  that  they 
should  have  gone  through  a  revival  of  religion,  such 
as  the  spread  of  Methodism,  under  the  ministrations 
of  British  and  Irish  preachers  without  being  swerved 
aside  from  their  intention  to  administer  their  own 
affairs  in  their  own  way.  These  ministers  were  lis¬ 
tened  to  with  respect  as  long  as  they  did  not  inter¬ 
fere  with  the  political  conduct  of  the  people.  When 
the  preachers  failed  to  recognize  this  feeling,  they 
were  given  to  understand  that  it  was  better  they 
should  return  to  England.  So  it  was  but  natural  that 
the  spirit  of  independence  glowing  strong  should 
result  in  independence  in  church  as  well  as  State. 

Asbury  came  to  America  to  remain  permanently 
and  this  partly  accounts  for  his  popular  control  over 
the  Methodists.  His  discipline  was  so  strict,  how¬ 
ever,  that  some  of  the  preachers  objected  and  Wes- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  25 


lev  sent  over  Thomas  Rankin  to  take  charge.  Ran¬ 
kin  had  no  sympathy  with  the  Colonies  and  with  true 
British  aloofness  failed  to  identify  himself  with  the 
Americans  and  returned  to  England  within  three 
years  with  all  the  other  English  preachers  except 
Asbury.  The  American  Methodists  then  worked  out 
their  own  salvation  until  1784,  when  Bishop  Coke 
was  sent  by  Wesley  to  be  a  joint  Superintendent 
with  Asbury. 

The  Episcopal  Office  was  made  elective,  and  the 
Bishop  (or  Superintendent)  was  subject  to  the  entire 
body  of  preachers.  A  plan  of  procedure  was  made, 
and  a  form  of  discipline  was  drawn  up.  The  accepted 
regulations  acknowledged  Wesley  as  the  head  of  the 
church  and  agreed  to  obey  his  orders  in  “matters 
belonging  to  church  government”.  They  even  looked 
forward  to  his  death,  but  independently  put  them¬ 
selves  on  record  “to  do  everything  that  we  judge  con¬ 
sistent  with  the  cause  of  religion  in  America  and  the 
political  interest  of  these  States”  to  continue  their 
relation  with  the  Methodists  in  Europe. 

One  regulation  that  was  adopted  persisted  for  a 
long  time  and  may  be  referred  to  occasionally  now, 
viz :  the  plainness  and  simplicity  of  dress.  It  read : 
“This  is  no  time  to  give  any  encouragement  to  super¬ 
fluity  of  apparel.  Give  no  ticket  to  any  that  wear 
high  heads,  enormous  bonnets,  ruffles  or  rings.” 

At  this  early  date  (1784)  a  member  was  expelled 
for  marrying  “an  unawakened  person”  (that  is,  a 
person  without  religion). 

Drinking  of  intoxicating  liquors  was  forbidden  ex¬ 
cept  for  medicinal  purposes.  There  were  certain 
rules  formed  for  a  “helper”;  some  of  them  are  set 
out  below : 

“Be  diligent.  Never  while  away  time. 

Be  serious.  Avoid  all  lightness,  jesting  and 
foolish  talking. 


26 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Converse  sparingly  and  cautiously  with  wo¬ 
men :  particularly  with  young  women. 

Believe  evil  of  no  one:  unless  you  see  it  done, 
take  heed  how  you  credit  it.  Put  the  best  con¬ 
struction  on  every  thing. 

Speak  evil  of  no  one :  Keep  your  thoughts 
within  your  own  breast,  till  you  come  to  the 
person  concerned. 

Do  not  affect  the  gentleman.  A  preacher  of 
the  gospel  is  the  servant  of  all. 

Be  ashamed  of  nothing  but  sin;  not  of  fetch¬ 
ing  wood  (if  time  permit)  or  drawing  water; 
not  of  cleaning  your  own  shoes,  or  your  neigh¬ 
bor’s. 

Be  punctual.  Do  everything  exactly  at  the 
time.” 

No  comment  is  necessary.  Certainly  no  apology 
should  be  made  for  setting  them  out.  It  will  not 
hurt  the  progress  of  this  account  to  inform  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  church  today  what  it  meant  in  those  days 
to  belong  to  “the  people  called  Methodists.” 

Men  and  women  were  not  allowed  to  sit  together  in 
the  churches.  This  was  the  rule,  and  is  even  now  a 
custom,  more  or  less  observed,  in  some  places. 

From  the  earliest  times  education  was  a  part  and 
parcel  of  the  work  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Books 
were  printed  and  distributed  under  the  directions  of 
the  Conferences  and  a  special  division  of  the  church 
was  given  over  to  the  work.  The  work  done  by  publish¬ 
ing  houses  of  Methodist  in  the  United  States  today  is 
tremendous. 

Schools  and  Colleges  were  proposed  and  every  effort 
was  made  to  educate  the  children  of  members  of  the 
church.  As  early  as  1785  Cokesbury  College  was  pro¬ 
moted  with  the  express  purpose  of  providing  for 
Methodist  children  a  seminary  of  learning  “Where 
every  advantage  may  be  obtained  which  may  promote 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  27 


the  prosperity  of  the  present  life,  without  endangering 
the  morals  and  religion  of  the  children  through  those 
temptations,  to  which  they  are  too  much  exposed  in 
most  of  the  public  schools.”  This  College  later  burnt 
down  and  was  never  rebuilt.  After  this  many  schools 
and  colleges  were  established  throughout  the  Country 
and  the  Methodist  Colleges  and  Institutions  of  learning 
take  first  rank. 

There  have  been  three  great  issues  upon  which  the 
Methodist  Conferences  disagreed- — two  of  them  were 
safely  settled,  but  the  third  caused  the  split  which  re¬ 
sulted  in  a  division  into  the  Northern  and  Southern 
Conferences.  These  issues  were  1st.  The  administra¬ 
tion  of  the  Sacraments:  2nd.  The  power  of  the  Bishop 
in  making  assignments:  and  3rd.  The  question  of 
slavery.  These  will  be  discussed  briefly. 

Prior  to  1779,  the  traveling  preachers  were  not 
allowed  to  administer  the  ordinances  of  Baptism  and 
Sacrament.  The  Southern  preachers  in  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  contended  that  if  God  had  called  them 
to  preach,  he  had  also  called  them  to  administer  the 
ordinances.  At  the  Conference  held  in  1779,  the  Confer¬ 
ence  appointed  a  committee  to  ordain  and  set  apart 
preachers  to  administer  the  ordinances.  The  preachers 
thus  ordained  went  forth,  and  in  the  South  it  was 
generally  accepted.  The  Northern  preachers  opposed 
this  and  after  some  debate  it  was  agreed  to  leave  the 
question  to  Mr.  Wesley.  He  settled  it  by  sending 
Bishop  Coke  and  two  lay  preachers  to  establish  a 
church  government  and  ordain  preachers  who  should 
have  the  power  to  administer  the  ordinances.  The 
breach  was  healed  and  peace  once  more  reigned  among 
the  brethren.  Having  passed  this  danger  point,  the 
church  found  itself  well  started  with  eighteen-thou¬ 
sand  members,  one-hundred  and  five  preaches,  and 
fifty-two  Circuits. 

The  next  sharp  division  occurred  at  the  General 
Conference  of  1792  in  Baltimore.  James  O’Kelly,  a 


28 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Virginia  preacher,  offered  an  amendment  as  follows: 
“After  the  Bishop  appoints  the  preachers  at  Confer¬ 
ence  to  their  several  circuits,  if  any  one  thinks  himself 
injured  by  the  appointment,  he  shall  have  liberty  to 
appeal  to  the  Conference  and  state  his  objections; 
and  if  the  Conference  approve  his  objections,  the 
Bishop  shall  appoint  him  to  another  circuit.”  Prob¬ 
ably  the  debate  that  followed  this  question  of  allowing 
an  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  Bishop  was  the 
most  vigorous  that  ever  took  place  at  a  Conference. 
Certainly  it  was  more  earnestly  argued  than  any  other 
question  that  preceded  it.  The  motion  of  O’Kelly  was 
lost  and  he  and  the  preachers  who  agreed  with  him 
“set  off  for  Virginia,  taking  their  saddle-bags,  great 
coats,  and  other  bundles  on  their  shoulders  or  arms, 
walking  on  foot  to  the  place  where  they  .left  their 
horses,  which  was  about  twelve  miles  from  town.”  Re¬ 
gardless  of  the  merits  of  the  subject,  that  parade  of 
preachers  from  Virginia  trudging  along  the  muddy 
road  in  the  cold  weather,  with  their  “bundles”  must 
have  brought  tears  of  regret  at  a  division  among 
brothers  of  religion,  though  the  eyes  would  shine 
through  the  moisture  at  the  sturdy  independence  of 
such  men  who  stood  firmly  by  their  convictions,  and 
their  principles. 

It  is  hard  for  a  layman,  at  this  time,  to  see  the 
necessity  of  such  criticism  of  O’Kellv  as  was  show- 
ered  upon  him  for  his  proposal.  The  right  of  appeal 
is  a  firmly  fixed  principle  in  our  jurisprudence  and 
some  method  might  have  been  devised  to  allow  an 
appeal  from  the  Bishop  to  the  Conference  in  such 
cases.  It  is  hardly  probable  that  the  Conference 
would  have  upset  the  plans  of  the  Bishop,  unless 
the  members  had  felt  that  the  appellant  made  out 
an  unusual  case.  Of  course,  it  took  away  from  the 
Bishop  some  of  his  autocratic  power,  but  on  the  other 
hand,  the  Method'st  Church  had  from  the  beginning 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  29 

of  its  history  appealed  to  “The  people,”  with  its  simpli¬ 
city,  its  plainness,  its  lack  of  formality,  all  qualities  of 
democracy.  Anyhow,  the  motion  was  defeated,  O’Kelly 
started  a  new  church,  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  had  a  decrease  of  members  in  1794  of  two 
thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-five,  in  1795  of  six 
thousand  two  hundred  and  seventeen,  and  in  1796  of 
two  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-seven. 

From  that  year,  however,  down  the  years,  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  increased  in  mem¬ 
bers,  power  and  influence.  The  history  from  now  on 
is  the  history  of  the  men  wTho  made  it.  It  spread  all 
over  the  Country,  holding  its  own  in  the  centers  of 
population  and  raising  its  prayers  in  the  outskirts  of 
civilization.  Missions  were  established  in  far  off 
corners  of  the  earth. 

The  Church  was  again  required  to  meet  an  issue, 
and  this  time  it  would  disrupt  the  organization,  and 
there  would  be  for  many  years  two  Methodist  organiza¬ 
tions  in  the  United  States,  one  bearing  the  original 
name  and  the  other  “Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South.”  The  question  at  issue  was  the  same  question 
that  disrupted  the  Nation — slavery. 

It  was  not  a  new  matter.  It  had  been  before  the 
Conferences  from  the  earliest  times  and  had  always 
caused  bitterness  in  the  discussions.  In  1780  there 
was  much  feeling  engendered  by  the  remarks  of  those 
who  were  opposed  to  slavery.  Rules  were  passed 
against  allowing  membership  to  those  who  held  slaves, 
but  they  were  never  enforced,  and  were  altered  from 
time  to  time.  It  happened  in  the  Church  as  it  happen¬ 
ed  in  the  country  at  large.  A  few  fanatics,  determined 
to  reform  the  world  by  prohibiting  others  from  doing 
what  they  themselves  did  not  do,  continued  an  agita¬ 
tion,  which  became  an  irritation  to  such  an  extent  that 
many  refused  to  be  driven  into  doing  what  they  would 
probably  have  done  if  they  had  been  left  alone.  No 
one  disputes  at  this  day  that  Virginia,  and  probably 


30 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


other  Southern  States  would  have  gradually  freed  their 
slaves.  History  is  full  of  events  and  incidents  that 
prove  this.  The  first  Methodist  in  Petersburg,  Vir¬ 
ginia,  as  will  be  seen  later,  freed  his  slaves  and  many 
others  did  the  same.  There  were  state  laws  however 
that  had  to  be  complied  with  and  the  Methodists  have 
always  been  known  as  law  abiding  people.  The  O’Kelly 
incident  also  shows  that  they  can’t  be  driven.  But 
the  attempt  was  made,  and  the  Southern  members  with¬ 
drew  and  formed  a  new  organization.  No  good  can 
be  accomplished  by  going  into  the  subject  in  detail. 
The  issue  was  disposed  of  by  the  division  so  far  as  the 
Church  was  concerned.  As  for  the  nation,  the  matter 
was  settled  by  the  appeal  to  the  arbitrament  of  arms. 
In  due  course  the  two  great  sectional  divisions  will 
probably  be  re-united,  never  again  to  be  separated 
and  one  can  almost  hear  Bishop  Asbury,  who  formed 
the  organization,  shout  “Amen”  at  the  expression  of 
this  sentiment  for  their  union. 

The  trouble  came  to  a  head  at  the  General  Confer¬ 
ence  of  1844.  Bishop  Andrew,  a  resident  of  Alabama 
was  a  slaveholder.  He  was  requested  by  the  Confer¬ 
ence  “to  desist”  from  the  office  of  B.'shop  while  this 
stigma  remained.  The  Southern  delegates  opposed  this 
as  a  reflection  upon  Methodism  in  their  section.  After 
general  discussion,  the  Plan  of  Jurisdictional  Separa¬ 
tion  was  adopted  by  the  Conference,  giving  power  to 
“The  Annual  Conferences  in  the  slave-holding  States” 
to  organize  a  “separate  ecclesiastical  connection”  in  the 
South. 

Redford  in  his  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,”  says: 

“We  propose  to  invite  attention  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  briefly  to  view  its  posi¬ 
tion,  duty  and  prospects.  Forming  a  new  ecclesiastical 
organization,  the  Southern  Methodists  published  to  the 
world  the  grounds  on  which  they  separated  from  the 
Northern  Division.  They  believed  that  an  impartial 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  31 


tribunal  would  justify  the  course  they  had  pursued, 
and  that  the  faithful  chronicler  of  the  history  of  Meth¬ 
odism  would  accord  to  them  purity  of  purpose.  They 
established  no  new  Church,  but  simply  brought  the 
Church  of  which  they  were  members  under  a  separate 
jurisdiction,  making  no  change  in  doctrines,  and  tak¬ 
ing  the  same  Discipline,  changing  it  only  so  far  as  to 
conform  it  to  the  new  organization. 

A  vast  field,  already  white  unto  the  harvest,  spread 
out  before  them,  commanding  their  untiring  energies 
and  earnest  devotion. 

At  the  time  of  the  division  of  the  Methodist  Episco¬ 
pal  Church,  fifteen  Annual  Conferences,  embracing  all 
the  Southern  and  Southwestern  States,  with  the  ex¬ 
ception  of  Maryland,  and  comprising  a  membership 
of  329,057  white,  and  118,904  colored,  making  a  total 
of  447,961  persons,  adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  the  M. 
E.  Church,  South.  In  addition  to  these,  the  Indian 
Mission  conference,  embracing  the  Cherokee,  Choctaw, 
Chickasaw,  and  Creek  tribes,  occupying  a  territory 
bounded  by  Kansas  on  the  North,  by  Texas  on  the 
South,  by  Arkansas  on  the  East,  and  on  the  West  by 
the  grand  prairies  which  stretch  away  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  with  an  aggregate  population  of  fifty  thou¬ 
sand,  and  a  membership  of  two  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  seventy-eight,  identified  themselves  with  the  South¬ 
ern  branch  of  Methodism.  Provision  was  also  made  in 
the  General  Conference  of  1846  for  the  establishment 
of  a  mission  in  China.” 

Since  the  time  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South  met  in  its  first  General  Conference  in  Petersburg 
in  1846,  many  things  have  happened.  Those  seventy- 
seven  years  have  seen  the  War  with  Mexico  ended; 
Civil  War  disrupt  the  Union,  only  to  bring  the  States 
comprising  it  closer  in  the  War  with  Spain  and  the 
War  with  Germany;  the  face  of  the  world  changed  by 
new  discoveries- — but  through  it  all  the  flag  of  Method¬ 
ism  has  waved  triumphant. 


32 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


The  history  of  Methodism,  so  far  as  the  purpose  of 
this  work  is  concerned,  is  now  transferred  to  the  ac¬ 
tivities  of  the  Southern  branch.  The  general  history 
of  that  church  from  now  on  will  be  touched  upon  only 
in  connection  with  the  work  in  Petersburg,  but  it  is 
thought  advisable  to  give  a  short  account  of  Method¬ 
ism  in  Virginia  from  early  times  as  preliminary  to  the 
history  of  Methodism  in  Petersburg. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Methodism  in  Virginia 

METHODISM  in  Virginia  may  be  said  to  have 
begun  in  1772,  when  Robert  Williams  began 
to  preach  in  Norfolk  and  the  surrounding 
counties.  Of  course  there  were  a  few  of  the  Metho¬ 
dist  persuasion  in  Virginia  but  they  were  not  in  any 
organization,  and  no  work  was  done  in  the  forma¬ 
tion  of  Societies  until  Williams  appeared.  Messrs. 
Boardman  and  Fillmore,  who  had  been  sent  over  by 
Wesley,  also  came  to  Norfolk,  and  then  John  King 
and  William  Watters.  Watters  says  of  Norfolk 
Methodists  at  that  time,  “Their  convictions  were 
slight,  and  their  desires  very  faint.  Such  Methodists 
I  had  never  seen.  Many  hundreds  attended  preach¬ 
ing  but  the  most  hardened,  wild  and  ill-behaved  of 
any  people  I  had  ever  beheld  in  any  place.” 

The  next  year  the  Methodists  began  to  move  west¬ 
ward  and  early  in  the  year  we  hear  of  Robert  Wil¬ 
liams  in  Petersburg.  In  this  year  the  first  American 
Conference  assembled  at  Philadelphia.  One  hun¬ 
dred  members  were  reported  from  Virginia,  yet  Vir¬ 
ginia  was  given  two  “stations”,  and  to  Norfolk,. 
Richard  Wright  was  assigned  and  to  Petersburg, 
Robert  Williams.  Norfolk  and  Petersburg  were 
thus  headquarters  of  their  circuits  and  from  them 
the  preachers  travelled  the  surrounding  territory. 

In  1774,  owing  to  the  vigorous  and  active  work  of 


34 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Robert  Williams  a  new  circuit  was  formed  “from 
Petersburg  to  the  South  over  Roanoke  River”  and 
was  called  “Brunswick  Circuit”  with  Petersburg  as 
the  central  point.  From  this  time  the  work  increased 
more  in  the  counties  than  in  the  cities.  Petersburg 
had  a  Society  “feeble  in  numbers  but  strong  in 
faith”,  and  the  Society  in  Norfolk  was  “poor,  feeble 
in  numbers  and  lacked  spirituality”.  Asbury  him¬ 
self  went  to  Norfolk  but  had  slight  success,  and  in 
1776  Norfolk  was  dropped  from  the  minutes.  “Bruns¬ 
wick  Circuit”  including  Petersburg,  had  in  the  same 
period  a  wonderful  revival  and  reported  one  thou¬ 
sand  six  hundred  and  eleven  members.  “Old  Bruns¬ 
wick  Circuit”  as  it  was  affectionately  called,  in¬ 
cluded  Petersburg,  and  the  counties  of  Dinwiddie, 
Amelia,  Brunswick,  Sussex,  Prince  George,  Lunen¬ 
burg  and  Mecklenburg.  The  results  in  Virginia  were 
so  gratifying  that  the  Methodists  of  Virginia  were 
accorded  a  high  stand  in  the  Conferences  and  some 
of  the  best  known  and  most  celebrated  preachers 
came  from  Virginia.  At  one  time  the  members  of 
Brunswick  Circuit  exceeded  the  membership  in  New 
York  and  other  large  centers.  The  places  of  wor¬ 
ship  were  churches  allowed  them  by  some  few  min¬ 
isters  of  the  Church  of  England;  meeting  houses 
hastily  erected ;  and  if  no  other  shelter  could  be  had 
then  the  barns,  or  homes  of  those  friendly  to  the 
church.  We  still  have  some  of  these  old  meeting 
places,  or  at  least,  houses  erected  on  their  locations 
and  bearing  the  same  name;  “Mason’s”  in  Brunswick 
County,  Love’s  Chapel  in  Sussex  County,  “Mabry’s” 
in  Greenesville,  “Old  Salem  Church”  in  Mecklenburg 
County,  Jones’  Chapel  in  Sussex  County,  “Drum- 
goole’s”  in  Brunswick  County,  “Olive  Branch”  in 
Brunswick  County,  Ellis’  Chapel  in  Surry  County, 
Merritt’s  Chapel  in  Brunswick,  “Batt’s”  in  Greenes¬ 
ville  County,  Boisseau’s  or  Bushell’s  in  Dinwiddie 
County  and  many  others.  Many  of  the  preachers  of 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  35 


the  established  Church  refused  to  let  their  churches 
be  used  but  there  was  one  shining  exception,  Dever- 
eaux  Jarratt,  Minister  of  Bath  Parish,  Dinwiddie 
County  from  1763  to  1801.  The  Revolutionary  War 
caused  many  of  the  ministers,  who  were  generally 
natives  of  England,  to  become  frightened  and  to 
leave  their  posts,  but  Jarratt  was  a  Virginian  him¬ 
self  and  made  of  sterner  stuff.  He  welcomed  the 
Methodist  Itinerants  and  gave  them  every  encour¬ 
agement  in  his  power.  He  had  three  churches  in 
his  parish,  Saponv,  Hatcher’s  Run  and  Butterwood, 
names  still  existent  in  Dinwiddie  County,  but  he  ex¬ 
tended  his  labors  over  a  territory  covering  five  or 
six  hundred  miles.  He  was  a  wonderful  man,  and 
the  Methodists  owe  much  to  him.  It  would  be  a  most 
graceful  and  merited  act  for  the  Methodists  of  this 
section  to  erect  a  monument  to  his  memory. 

Great  revivals  followed  in  this  Circuit  under  the 
preaching  of  Jarratt  and  the  Methodists,  Asbury, 
Shadford,  Rankin,  Garrettson :  in  fact,  nearly  all 
of  the  Methodist  preachers,  in  the  first  ten  years 
after  Robert  Williams,  came  at  some  time  to  Bruns¬ 
wick  Circuit.  The  people  were  hospitable  and  gener¬ 
ous,  and  the  large  increase  in  their  numbers  gave  them 
an  influence  and  prestige  that  was  not  altogether  true 
of  the  membership  in  some  places.  It  may  be  noted 
here  that  in  1780  the  number  of  Methodists  in  the 
South  was  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
nine  and  in  the  North  three  thousand  one  hundred  and 
sixty-five. 

The  preachers  however  did  not  remain  in  this  favor¬ 
ed  and  pleasant  country.  They  pushed  westward  and 
soon  had  strong  Societies  in  Western  Virginia,  from 
Lynchburg  on  through  the  mountains  and  around  to 
the  North  at  Leesburg.  The  progress  of  the  war  from 
the  South  into  Eastern  Virginia  was  playing  havoc 
with  religious  meetings,  and  in  the  closing  days  of  the 


36 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


war  we  find  more  activity  in  Northern  and  Western 
Virginia  than  in  the  Southern  and  Eastern  parts. 

The  question  of  the  celebration  of  the  ordinances 
rose  to  cause  dissension  in  the  ranks,  but  it  has  been 
seen  how  it  terminated.  The  question  of  slavery  also 
began  to  torment  the  peace  of  the  brotherhood.  This 
matter  simmered  continuously  at  every  meeting  until 
it  finally  boiled  over  in  1844.  The  Virginians  showed 
their  usual  trait,  independence,  in  both  matters,  but 
were  reluctant  to  let  any  difference  of  opinion  cause  a 
breach  Asbury’s  Journal  recites  the  state  of  affairs 
throughout  Virginia  in  these  years  in  a  most  entertain¬ 
ing  and  personal  manner.  He  states  that  he  heard 
the  “Good  news”  of  the  acknowledgment  by  Great 
Britain  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States, 
while  in  Culpeper  in  1782,  but  it  was  the  only  “good 
news”  he  had  on  his  trip  through  Virginia  this  year. 
In  Leesburg,  he  says  he  preached  “to  little  purpose”; 
at  “Woolsey’s  barn — cold  day,  cold  house,  cold  peo¬ 
ple”;  in  Mecklenburg  “my  soul  mourns  for  the  dead¬ 
ness  of  the  people  in  our  old  circuit.”  He  died  in 
Virginia  in  1816  in  the  State  he  loved  so  well  and 
where  he  had  many  friends. 

It  might  be  noted  here  that  during  a  war  there  is 
usually  revived  interest  in  religious  matters,  but  im¬ 
mediately  after  a  war  there  seems  to  be  necessary  a 
period  of  license  and  lack  of  restraint.  This  was  true 
in  Virginia  after  the  Revolutionary  War.  However 
in  1787,  there  was  a  great  revival  in  Southside  Vir¬ 
ginia,  greater  even  than  the  remarkable  manifestations 
of  1776.  In  1793  the  membership  in  Virginia  was 
given  at  thirteen  thousand  six  hundred  white,  and 
four  thousand  and  sixty-nine  colored. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  Petersburg  and  Norfolk 
as  early  centres  of  Methodism  and  much  has  been  said 
about  the  work  in  the  country  districts :  no  mention 
has  been  made  of  the  Capital  City,  Richmond.  As  a 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  37 


matter  of  fact,  Richmond  in  early  times  was  not  con¬ 
genial  to  Methodism.  In  1796,  after  twenty-four  years 
from  the  time  the  Methodist  movement  started  in 
Norfolk  and  Petersburg,  Richmond  had  no  meeting 
house  and  not  twenty  Methodists.  About  1799  however 
Methodism  began  to  grow  and  the  city  since  that  time 
has  redeemed  its  early  indifference. 

In  the  year  1803  the  first  “Camp  meeting”  in  the 
world  was  held  in  Brunswick  at  a  new  Church,  called 
“Camp  Meeting  House”  in  commemoration  of  the  event. 
These  meetings  were  held  in  many  places  from  that 
time  on.  People  came  from  long  distances  and  camped 
until  the  meeting  was  over,  the  meetings  lasting  several 
days.  They  are  sometimes  called  “protracted  meet¬ 
ings”  and  are  still  in  vogue  in  the  country  districts. 

The  work  in  Virginia  went  on  with  slow  but  steady 
increase.  In  1817  the  membership  was  reported  as 
eighteen  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-three 
whites  and  five  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty-six 
colored.  The  number  of  Circuits  was  forty-one  and 
sixtv-four  preachers  were  appointed.  Until  1844  when 
the  Church  divided  over  the  issue  of  slavery,  the 
growth  of  Methodism  in  Virginia  continued  steadily. 

The  progress  of  Methodism  under  the  control  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South  has  been  tremend¬ 
ous.  In  Virginia  there  are  three  Conference  Dis¬ 
tricts.  The  Virginia  Conference  does  not  embrace 
all  the  State  of  Virginia.  Southwest  Virginia  em¬ 
bracing  the  territory  equal  to  three  districts,  is  in  the 
Holston  Conference,  and  a  good  strip  in  the  Northern 
part,  including  the  far-famed  Valley  is  claimed  by 
the  Baltimore  Conference.  The  Virginia  Conference 
reports  290  pastoral  charges  with  840  organized 
churches  and  145,775  members.  The  churches  in 
the  Conference  last  year  raised  $2,483,890,  and  the 
church  property  is  valued  at  $7,651,650  with  253 
parsonages  valued  at  $1,189,523. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Methodism  in  Petersburg 

ONE  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  Petersburg 
was,  with  the  exception  of  Norfolk,  the  most 
important  place  in  the  State. 

The  towns  of  Petersburg,  Blandford,  Pocahontas, 
and  Ravenscroft  were  united  in  1784  and  incorpo¬ 
rated  under  the  name  of  Petersburg.  Prior  to  this 
time  there  had  been  great  rivalry  and  many  jealous¬ 
ies  between  the  four,  lying  in  close  proximity  to  each 
other.  Petersburg  was  the  retail  section,  Blandford 
was  the  residence  section,  and  Pocahontas  was  the 
first  real  estate  subdivision  and  was  promoted  for 
that  purpose.  It  was  the  wholesale  section,  and  sub¬ 
stantial  warehouses  were  built  on  the  river,  and  bet¬ 
ter  homes,  of  brick,  were  erected  by  men  of  means, 
but  the  location  was  unhealthy  and  soon  the  south 
side  of  the  river  became  the  chief  residential  as  well 
as  business  part  of  the  town.  Stores  were  built  on 
old  Bollingbrook  Street  and  further  out  on  both 
streets,  back  from  the  river,  residences  were  con¬ 
structed.  Most  of  the  houses  were  of  frame,  though 
there  were  undoubtedly,  buildings  of  stone  founda¬ 
tions  and  part  stone  construction  and  some  of  brick. 

An  old  writer  has  given  us  a  description  of  the 
place  not  long  after  the  Revolutionary  War  and  it 
applies  as  well  to  this  period:  ‘‘A  brisk  lively  little 
place,  rather  old  in  appearance  with  gay  society,  a 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  39 


few  large  commercial  houses,  lots  of  tobacco,  plenty 
of  slick  black  negroes,  numbers  of  little  children  with 
check  aprons  and  dirty  faces,  rows  of  framed  houses 
of  every  style  and  description  and  a  Mayor  and 
Councilmen  very  much  like  the  easy-going  law 
givers  of  New  Amsterdam,  under  the  profound  ad¬ 
ministration  of  the  renowned  Orloff  Von  Kortlandt. 
The  hideous  innovation  of  steam  had  not  yet  broken 
in  upon  the  placid  provincialism  of  the  happy  little 
“burg”  and  since  all  “wars  and  rumors  of  wars”  had 
evaporated  there  was  nothing  to  ruffle  the  well 
balanced  minds  of  its  unassuming  citizens. 

Balls  and  parties  were  given  on  the  gala  nights  of 
the  year;  modesty  and  virtue  were  most  piously  ap¬ 
preciated,  jollifications  were  more  gentlemanly  than 
ever  since,  and  there  was  little  necessity  for  the  inter¬ 
ference  of  that  ill-favored  individual  better  known 
as  “ye  constable”. 

The  streets  were  muddy  and  unpaved,  and  living 
conditions  were  harsh  as  compared  to  modern  con¬ 
veniences  but  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  of 
good  spirit,  energetic,  home-loving  and  happy  in 
their  independent,  modest  way,  attending  to  their 
own  business  strictly,  not  given  to  boasting  of  their 
progress,  but  building  up  slowly  and  surely,  hos¬ 
pitable  and  generous  to  the  stranger,  and  kindly  to 
each  other.  The  citizens  were  mainly  of  good  old 
English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  stock,  merchants,  and  fac¬ 
tors,  and  commission  brokers.  They  were  from  the 
best  blood  of  England,  come  to  seek  their  fortune  in 
America,  and  they  kept  up  their  relations  with  their 
families  in  England  until  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Then  their  independent  spirit  caused  them  to  resent 
any  encroachments  on  their  liberty  even  from  their 
Mother  country,  and  they  built  up  their  homes  for 
permanency.  Many  of  them  were  entitled  to  armorial 
bearings,  but  they  seemed  to  pay  but  little  attention 
to  the  distinctions  of  family.  _  Large  quantities  of 


40 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


goods  were  imported  directly  to  Petersburg  from 
England  and  the  merchants  of  the  town  sold  or  ex¬ 
changed  these  goods  throughout  the  country  and 
bought  or  received  in  return  tabacco  and  grain  for 
export.  The  men  of  wealth  were  the  landed  pro¬ 
prietors  along  the  rivers,  and  even  the  smaller 
farmers,  owing  to  the  richness  of  the  soil,  were 
enabled  to  live  without  want  and  in  comparative 
content.  The  back  country  of  Petersburg  was  peo¬ 
pled  with  men  of  this  type,  living  independently  and 
in  perfect  liberty,  and  with  the  delightful  climate  and 
favorable  health  conditions,  they  were  satisfied  with 
their  lot. 

So  far  as  their  religious  life  was  concerned,  it  must 
be  confessed  that  apparently  they  were  not  very  much 
interested.  Owing  to  the  simplicity  of  their  existence, 
they  were  unacquainted  with  the  vices  of  the  Old 
World.  The  richer  and  more  fashionable  element  were 
members  of  the  established  Church  of  England,  but 
the  same  spirit  of  independence  in  their  temporal  mat¬ 
ters  showed  itself  in  their  religious  affairs.  The 
“Dissenters”  and  the  Baptists  were  given  a  hearing, 
though  at  times  persecuted.  Davies  and  Whitfield 
were  given  the  opportunity  to  be  heard  in  eloquent 
appeals  for  the  right  to  worship  God  in  their  own 
way.  Events  conspired  to  the  freedom  of  religious 
belief.  The  disturbances  prior  to  the  Revolutionary 
War  permitted  more  freedom  in  religious  thought, 
and  the  events  leading  up  to  the  war  turned  the  tide 
of  persecution  and  unpopularity  from  those  who  were 
not  members  of  the  Established  Church. 

It  seems  strange  that  with  the  controversy  raging 
between  Great  Britain  and  America  the  Methodists  in 
England  should  have  sent  over  preachers,  but  such  was 
the  case.  Several  reasons  might  be  given  but  none 
seem  entirely  satisfactory.  The  English  preachers 
did  come  over  and  it  has  been  seen  that  some  of  them 
were  intemperate  in  their  speech  and  had  to  return  to 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  41 


England  because  they  offended  the  Americans  with 
their  criticisms  and  also,  in  some  cases,  because  they 
preferred  not  to  live  in  America. 

There  was  one  man,  however,  who  was  not  affected 
by  adverse  conditions,  when  he  thought  the  “call”  had 
come  to  him  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  America.  Robert 
Williams  was  a  local  preacher  in  Ireland  and  had  a 
license  from  Wesley  to  preach  under  the  missionaries 
in  the  American  field.  “He  sold  his  horse  to  pay  his 
debts,  and  sailed  for  the  New  World  with  an  outfit 
consisting  of  a  pair  of  saddle-bags,  containing  a  few 
pieces  of  clothing,  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  a  bottle  of  milk” 
says  one  author.  He  landed  in  New  York  in  1769,  and 
after  preaching  in  the  northern  field  until  1772,  he 
came  to  Virginia.  He  never  left  it.  He  gave  his  life 
to  the  establishment  of  Methodism  in  Virginia,  he 
threw  in  his  lot  with  the  people  of  the  country,  and  he 
died  and  was  buried  in  the  land  of  his  adoption.  Ref¬ 
erence  has  been  made  to  his  work  elsewhere,  but  as 
he  selected  Petersburg  as  his  headquarters,  he  is  more 
peculiarly  entitled  to  remembrance  by  this  city.  He 
arrived  in  Petersburg  in  February  1772. 

Petersburg  had  not  at  that  time  been  incorporated 
with  the  neighboring  towns  of  Blandford,  Pocahontas 
and  Ravenscroft,  but  was  outstripping  them  in  business 
and  in  numerical  growth.  From  the  best  estimate 
that  can  be  made  Petersburg  and  its  adjoining  towns 
above  mentioned  had  a  population  in  1773  of  possibly 
three  thousand  souls.  Its  business,  of  course,  was  be¬ 
ing  hampered  by  the  difficulties  with  England,  but  we 
must  remember  that  many  of  the  inhabitants  were 
English  and  Scotch  traders,  and  it  was  hard  for  them 
to  believe  that  the  Colonies  would  ever  resist  powerful 
Britain.  They  were  not  alone  in  this  belief  for,  until 
the  first  blow  was  struck  at  Lexington,  few  were  pre¬ 
pared  for  such  a  thought  as  resistance  to  the  point  of 
revolution.  So  the  town  was  thriving  in  a  business 
way  but  in  a  restricted  degree. 


42 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Gressett  Davis  was  a  merchant  of  the  town,  and 
lived  in  Pocahontas,  later  moving  to  Petersburg. 
One  of  his  friends  was  Nathaniel  Young.  Davis  lived 
and  died  here,  but  little  is  known  of  Young.  He  was 
a  young  man  of  controversial  tendencies  and  of  the 
restless  enthusiastic  type,  moving  from  place  to 
place.  It  has  been  said  that  he  returned  to  England.  It 
is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  the  two  friends  engaging 
in  a  discussion  and  Young  telling  Davis  in  his  enthusi¬ 
astic  way  of  the  preacher,  Robert  Williams,  then  in 
Norfolk.  Possibly  Davis  said  “well  we  will  invite  him 
to  Petersburg  and  see  what  he  can  do  here  to  make 
things  better — certainly  he  can  do  no  harm  and  the 
town  needs  some  good  man  badly.”  Davis  evidently 
was  a  very  religious  man  and  had  been  thinking  deeply 
of  religious  matters. 

Here  is  Gressett  Davis’  own  account  of  how  it 
happened,  taken  from  a  letter  he  wrote  Mr.  Wesley  in 
1780. 

“About  fifteen  years  ago  the  people  called  Anabap¬ 
tists  began  to  preach  and  make  some  stir.  About  the 
same  time  we  were  blessed  with  two  worthy  ministers 
of  the  Episcopal  Church,  who  preached  the  strange 
doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace.  Both  these  met  with 
much  opposition. 

“Eleven  years  ago,  under  the  preaching  of  good  Mr. 
McRoberts,  my  eyes  were  opened  to  see  the  spirituality 
of  the  law.  I  was  convincd  of  sin.  This  was  the 
fourth  sermon  I  had  heard  from  this  minister.  The 
word  conversion  was  as  new  to  me  as  if  there  had  been 
no  such  term  in  the  English  language.  As  to  Chris¬ 
tians,  I  knew  not  of  one  within  twenty  miles ;  in  short, 
I  did  not  know  that  it  was  the  privilege  of  any,  except 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  to  feel  what  I  now  experienced. 
I  got  acquainted  with  Mr.  McRoberts,  and  some  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Baptist  Church,  all  of  whom  preached  final 
perseverance.  I  was  opposed  to  this  doctrine  and  stood 
against  all  their  persuasions  to  become  a  Baptist. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  43 


“Mr.  McRoberts  and  Mr.  Jarratt  preached  the  same. 
In  1772  I  became  acquainted  with  a  young  man  from 
Yorkshire,  England,  who  had  been  brought  up  from  his 
youth  in  your  societies,  (Nathaniel  Young  by  name) 
who  informed  me  of  you  and  the  people  called  Metho¬ 
dists.  This  young  man,  who  I  fear  had  lost  the  vital 
part  of  religion,  an  old  formal  Quaker,  and  myself, 
hired  the  Theatre  in  this  place,  and  bound  ourselves  to 
invite  any  and  every  sect  and  party,  who,  we  thought, 
preached  the  truth  of  the  gospel  as  far  as  conversion 
to  come  and  preach  in  the  said  house,  under  this  re¬ 
striction,  that  they  should  not  intermeddle  with  the 
principles  of  church  government.  We  soon  got  many 
traveling  preachers,  more  than  at  our  set  out  I  thought 
were  in  America,  of  Churchmen,  Presbyterians,  Bap¬ 
tists  and  Quakers,  to  come  and  preach,  though  nothing 
yet  appeared  from  the  devil’s  agents  but  persecution. 

In  a  few  months  after  the  house  was  opened,  the  good 
Mr.  Robert  Williams,  of  your  connection,  made  a  visit 
to  Norfolk,  Young  and  myself  both  having  connec¬ 
tions  in  the  mercantile  line  at  Norfolk  invited  the  good 
man  up  to  this  place.  His  entrance  among  us  was  in 
February,  1773.  I  informed  this  faithful  servant  of 
Christ  that  our  faith  was  plighted  to  each  other  not 
to  admit  any  who  would  not  promise  not  to  intermeddle 
with  opinions.  The  old  man  replied  we  only  wanted 
a  change  of  heart  and  to  preach  holiness  of  life.  This 
we  readily  agreed  to.  He  labored  among  us  about  the 
town,  and  no  fruit  appeared  for  several  weeks.  We 
then  furnished  him  a  horse,  and  he  traveled  into  the 
country.  In  a  short  time  a  surprising  work  broke 
out  in  the  country,  which  has  since  spread  over  every 
part  of  the  State  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 
Thus  entered  and  thus  flourished  Methodism,  from 
an  unexpected,  and  what  may  be  called  unlikely  be¬ 
ginning,  until  many  thousands  were  brought  from  the 
power  of  Satan  to  serve  the  true  and  the  living  God.” 
“The  good  old  man”  accepted  the  invitation  and  came 


44 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


to  Petersburg  and  proceeded  to  preach  the  gospel  “as 
far  as  conversion”  and  to  “a  change  of  heart”  and 
“holiness  of  life.”  What  the  “Churchmen,  Presby¬ 
terians,  Baptists  and  Quakers”  had  failed  to  do  this 
man  did;  he  “converted”  Gressett  Davis  (we  can  find 
out  nothing  about  Young) ,  although  McRoberts  and 
Jarratt  had  not  been  able  to  win  him  to  their  faith.' 
We  like  to  think  of  Gressett  Davis  entertaining  Robert 
Williams  at  his  house  and  after  business  hours  going 
with  him  across  Pocahontas  bridge,  up  Old  street, 
carefully  picking  their  way  through  the  muddy,  un¬ 
lighted  street  to  the  Theatre,  where  Williams  kept  his 
pledge  in  his  preaching  not  “to  intermeddle  with  the 
principles  of  Church  government.”  The  famous  old 
“Golden  Ball  Tavern”  was  then  standing,  at  or  near 
the  corner  of  Old  and  Market  Streets,  but  the  reputa¬ 
tion  of  Methodists  has  never  been  that  of  sending 
their  invited  preacher  guests  to  a  tavern. 


MEETING  HOUSE  ON  MARKET  STR  EET— 1 7  8  8-1 8 1 8 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  Meeting  Place  on  Old  Street 

FOR  years  many  attempts  have  been  made  to  lo¬ 
cate  the  “Theatre”  which  Gressett  Davis  hired 
for  the  services.  There  is  nothing  definite  con¬ 
cerning  it.  One  writer  says  it  was  “situated  on  Old 
Street,  not  far  from  the  river,  a  little  below  the  pres¬ 
ent  site  of  Murry’s  Mill”  (Bennett’s  “Memorials  of 
Methodism”).  This  book  was  published  in  1870  and 
as  the  statement  is  not  in  quotations,  presumably  it 
was  so  stated  to  the  author  by  someone  then  living. 
This  description  has  done  a  great  deal  to  confuse, 
for  no  one  can  be  found  at  this  time  who  recalls  a 
mill  known  as  “Murry’s  Mill”.  There  are  only  a 
limited  number  of  mills  along  the  river  and  men 
thoroughly  familiar  with  every  one  of  them  since 
1840  can  not  recall  any  mill  by  that  designation. 
There  was  standing  until  some  years  ago  an  old 
building  near  the  corner  of  Old  and  Fleet  Streets, 
known  as  “the  Rock  House”,  which  may  have  been 
the  “old  theatre”.  It  was  “not  far  from  the  river” 
and  was  near  all  the  mills  on  the  river,  except  one, 
and  that  one  was  not  more  than  three  blocks  away. 
This  old  “Rock  House”  was  at  the  end  of  Old  Street, 
around  which  there  had  been  a  settlement  from 
earliest  times;  in  fact  it  is  thought  that  old  Fort 
Henry  was  not  far  away  from  here,  established  in 
1645.  Another  element  of  importance  in  erecting  a 


48 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


place  of  assembly  was  its  nearness  to  a  supply  of 
drinking  water,  which  was  scarce.  McKenzie’s 
Spring  at  the  head  of  Old  Street  was  the  one  most 
frequently  used.  There  were  no  other  springs  on  Old 
Street,  and  water  for  drinking  was  obtained  from 
Bolling’s  Spring  below  what  is  now  Centre  Hill,  and 
over  in  Chesterfield  at  McNeil’s  Spring.  These  two 
were  far  removed  from  Old  Street.  So  far  as  the  mills 
are  concerned,  there  have  been,  since  very  early 
times,  mills  on  the  river  not  far  from  the  end  of  Old 
Street,  at  this  point,  and  at  this  place  Old  Street  is 
not  far  from  the  river.  However  this  doesn’t  aid 
much  for  Old  Street  runs  parallel  its  entire  length 
to  the  river  and  is  not  far  from  it  at  any  point. 

There  is  in  existence,  however,  a  penciled  state¬ 
ment  (the  author  unknown  and  his  source  of  infor¬ 
mation  unknown)  which  states  the  old  theatre  was 
on  Old  Street  near  “Kevan’s  Mill”.  This  is  easily 
ascertained  as  being  near  the  corner  of  Old  and  Fleet 
Streets,  near  the  old  Rock  House  site.  It  is  called 
Kevan’s  Mill  to  this  day.  It  is  probable  that  Bennett 
had  the  name  wrong  and  that  through  some  error  he 
wrote  “Murrays’  Mill.” 

The  location  of  this  first  hired  Methodist  “meeting 
House”  should  be  marked,  but  to  this  date  the  site  can 
only  be  conjectured. 

After  all  even  if  the  exact  location  cannot  be  ascer¬ 
tained  it  is  more  than  probable  that  it  was  located 
within  a  stone’s  throw  of  the  head  of  Old  Street. 
Fortunately  we  know  what  took  place  in  the  old 
building. 

There  are  several  accounts  of  revivals  in  this  old 
Theatre  building.  For  the  sake  of  accuracy  it  may 
not  be  amiss  to  point  out  the  improbabilities  of  cer¬ 
tain  stories  connected  with  this  building.  Bennett 
gives  an  account  of  a  revival  in  this  old  theatre  when 
“furious  sinners  rared  round  the  house  like  a  tem¬ 
pest”  and  “brought  up  a  fire  engine  and  played  a 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  49 

stream  of  water  into  the  house  until  every  light  was 
put  out  and  saints  and  sinners  involved  in  darkness.” 
Hope  Hull  and  John  Easter  were  said  to  have  been 
the  preachers.  Easter  was  received  in  1782  and  lo¬ 
cated  in  1792  and  Hull  was  received  in  1785  and  lo¬ 
cated  in  1795.  The  Methodists  had  their  own  build¬ 
ing  in  1788,  and  it  is  improbable  that  there  were  fire 
engines  in  use  in  Petersburg  at  that  time.  The  mov¬ 
ing  scene  probably  took  place  elsewhere. 

There  were,  however,  great  revivals  in  the  latter 
years  of  the  century.  Bennett  recites:  “Petersburg 
felt  the  presence  of  the  spirit  in  a  wonderful  manner. 
The  town  had  never  before  been  so  shaken  by  divine 
power.  Never  had  the  people  seen  such  manifesta¬ 
tions  of  the  presence  of  God  in  their  midst.”  This 
account  refers  to  the  great  revival  of  1787. 

Robert  Williams  did  not  have  his  main  success  in 
Petersburg.  Methodism  did  not  spread  very  rapidly 
in  the  centers  of  population;  its  great  success  was  in 
the  country,  as  was  noted  by  Gressett  Davis  in  his 
letter  to  Wesley.  Norfolk  increased  so  slowly  that  at 
one  time  it  was  dropped  from  the  rolls  as  a  station. 
Richmond  did  not  have  but  a  handful  until  twenty- 
seven  years  after  Methodism  started  in  Virginia.  Pe¬ 
tersburg  was  named  as  a  station  in  1773,  and  then 
made  a  part  of  “Brunswick  Circuit.”  Williams  used 
Petersburg  as  his  headquarters  and  after  a  short  time 
went  into  the  counties  south  of  Petersburg,  where 
with  the  aid  of  Devereaux  Jarratt,  the  Episcopal  Rec¬ 
tor,  he  did  a  great  work,  as  has  been  seen.  However 
we  know  the  work  prospered  in  the  town  and  that 
some  interest  was  manifested,  for  the  Methodists  de¬ 
cided  to  erect  a  church  of  their  own  and  not  be  forced 
to  worship  in  a  “hired”  building. 

THE  MEETING  HOUSE  ON  HARRISON  STREET. 

The  first  Methodist  Church  ever  built  in  Petersburg 
was  erected  on  Harrison  Street,  north  of  Liberty 


50 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Street,  in  the  rear  of  George  W.  Bolling’s  lot.  George 
W.  Bolling’s  lot  was  the  lot  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Mr.  Wm.  L.  Zimmer,  Sr.,  so  we  can  locate  the  site 
of  this  “Meeting  House,”  as  being  just  across  the 
street  from  what  is  now  the  Harrison  Street  (Baptist) 
Church  (colored).  There  is  no  record  of  its  size  or 
cost.  It  was  a  frame  building,  and  probably  of  some 
size. 

Always  the  Methodists  in  Petersburg  have  been  pa¬ 
triotic.  In  the  course  of  this  narrative  it  will  be  seen 
how  upon  every  occasion  they  whole-heartedly  gave 
to  their  Country’s  needs.  This  was  the  first  oppor¬ 
tunity  and  they  responded  nobly.  The  Church  was 
turned  over  to  the  soldiers  as  barracks  in  the  Revolu¬ 
tionary  War,  and  the  patrol  was  stationed  there.  The 
building  was  erected  probably  in  1774  or  1775,  and  the 
war  began  in  1775,  although  there  was  no  fighting 
around  Petersburg  until  1781.  Yet  it  seems  probable 
that  the  Church  was  turned  over  to  the  military  au¬ 
thorities  at  the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  for  Petersburg 
was  in  a  state  of  patriotic  ferment  from  the  start.  It 
is  on  record  that  John  Banister  offered  to  turn  his 
saw  mill  into  a  powder  mill  and  saltpetre  and  sulphur 
were  sent  him  by  the  Virginia  Convention  of  patriots. 
Richard  Bland  advised  the  making  of  saltpetre  at 
the  Appomattox  warehouses  and  offered  to  contribute 
and  get  others  to  contribute  to  the  work.  So  we  know 
that  Old  Petersburg  was  actively,  as  usual,  in  the  front 
of  the  fight. 

The  church  was  used  by  the  army  as  a  barracks, 
being  one  of  the  largest  buildings  in  the  town,  we  may 
suppose,  and  was  then  turned  into  a  hospital.  Later 
it  was  burned — exactly  when  or  how  is  not  known, 
but  supposedly  in  the  latter  days  of  the  war.  Maybe,  it 
was  burned  by  the  notorious  British  General,  Phillips 
in  1781  when  he  was  in  possession  of  the  town — he 
burnt  everything  else  to  which  he  could  set  the  torch, 
including  warehouses,  etc.,  even  to  the  fences  around 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  51 


“Bollingbrook,”  although  he  was  using  the  house  as 
his  headquarters. 

After  the  church  was  burned,  the  “Society”  worship¬ 
ped  at  each  other’s  homes.  Gressett  Davis  offered  his 
home  and  John  Cook,  the  elected  “Leader,”  who  lived 
in  Pocahontas,  opened  his  doors.  A  partial  list  of  the 
members  of  this  first  church  has  been  handed  down,  as 
follows:  John  Cook,  leader — Ann  Cook;  Gressett 
Davis,  Martha  Davis;  David  Thweatt;  William  Wors¬ 
ham,  Sarah  Worsham ;  Francis  Baird,  Batt  Gilmour ;. 
Nathaniel  Parrott,  Lucy  Parrott;  William  Lewis; 
Samuel  Brazington ;  George  Elliott,  Peggy  Elliott ; 
Francis  Bearil;  Sarah  Langby;  Mary  Wirom;  Susanna 
Burton;  Frances  Jackson;  Jane  Stephenson;  Elias 
Barnaby. 

Twelve  men  and  ten  women.  Judging  by  the  records 
from  other  sources,  this  congregation  was  not  com¬ 
posed  of  the  wealthy  and  influential  citizens,  but  they 
were  honest  and  sincere  and  deeply  religious,  or  they 
would  never  have  made  the  progress  they  did  make. 
Gressett  Davis  was  probably  the  most  important  man 
in  his  church.  The  old  land  records  of  Petersburg 
begin  in  1784  and  the  references  to  him  show  him  to* 
have  been  a  man  of  some  influence  and  position. 

THE  MEETING  HOUSE  ON  MARKET  STREET 

The  Revolutionary  War  virtually  ceased  when  Corn¬ 
wallis  surrendered  at  Yorktown  in  1781,  but  the  Treaty 
of  Paris  was  not  signed  until  1783.  By  this  Treaty 
Great  Britain  acknowledged  the  independence  of  the 
United  States.  It  can  be  imagined  with  what  enthusi¬ 
asm  the  victorious  Americans  set  to  work  in  every  field 
to  build  their  nation;  and  especially  were  the  piously 
inclined  energetic  in  erecting  places  of  worship,  where¬ 
in  they  might  give  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  their 
victory.  In  the  ensuing  years  there  was  a  great  re¬ 
vival  of  religion  all  over  the  country. 


52 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


The  Methodists  in  Petersburg  had  not  worshipped  in 
a  church  of  their  own  since  their  church  was  destroyed 
by  fire  during  the  war,  and  probably  by  the  British. 
However,  it  was  their  intention  to  proceed  as  fast  as 
they  were  able  in  the  construction  of  their  own  house 
of  worship.  After  the  war,  the  energetic  Gressett 
Davis  began  to  make  his  plans  and  to  secure  subscrip¬ 
tions.  He  headed  the  list  with  a  subscription  of  fifty 
pounds,  representing  about  $250.00  in  our  money — a 
very  liberal  amount  in  those  days. 

It  has  been  stated  by  many  writers  that  the  church 
on  Market  Street  was  on  the  Corner  of  Friend  Street 
(now  Hinton  St.)  and  Market  Street.  The  best  evi¬ 
dence  is  the  deed.  This  is  recorded  and  shows  the  lot 
to  have  been  on  Market  Street  90  links  from  the  corner 
northward,  with  a  frontage  on  Market  Street  of  about 
100  feet. 

At  the  time  this  church  on  Market  Street  was  built 
by  the  Methodists,  there  was  only  one  other  church  in 
town — the  Episcopal  church  known  as  “Blandford”  or 
“Bristol  Parish.”  A  writer  (name  unknown)  concern¬ 
ing  “Churches  in  Petersburg  in  1779”  says:  “There  is 
a  church  on  the  Hill  above  Blandford  which  is  occupied 
not  above  half  a  dozen  Sundays  in  the  year  and  then 
is  but  thinly  attended ;  it  has  no  organ,  the  walls  are 
damp  for  want  of  care  and  the  whole  has  evident 
appearance  of  neglect  and  decay.  In  the  opulent  and 
populous  town  of  Petersburg  there  is  a  play  house,  but 
there  is  no  church,  unless  a  small  wooden-house  where 
the  Methodists  occassionally  meet,  deserves  that 
name.  The  inhabitants  are  content  to  say  their 
prayers,  not  very  numerously,  in  the  Court  House 
which  is  not  very  well  calculated  for  the  purpose. 
Although  the  people  of  this  place  were  originally  of 
different  professions  and  denominations,  here  they 
all  pray,  when  they  happen  to  meet,  after  the  Epis¬ 
copalian  form.” 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  53 


The  old  “wooden-house,”  however,  entertained  some 
distinguished  visitors.  Petersburg  was  chosen  for  the 
Conferences  of  1788-1789-1791-1793-1794-1810-1817, 
and  they  were  held  in  this  church,  unquestionably.  Of 
the  Bishops,  who  sat  within  its  walls,  can  be  mentioned 
those  great  men  of  the  early  pioneer  days,  Asbury, 
Coke,  Whatcoat,  McKendree,  Roberts  and  George ;  of 
great  preachers,  John  Early,  Philip  Bruce,  John 
Easter,  Jesse  Lee,  James  O’Kelly,  Hope  Hull,  Stith 
Mead;  Joshua  Soule  and  Elijah  Hedding,  before  they 
were  made  Bishops;  of  early  Episcopal  preachers, 
Devereaux  Jarratt  possibly  Benj.  Holt  Rice,  the  first 
Presbyterian,  who  came  in  1811;  the  eccentric  Lorenzo 
Dow,  who  “belonged  to  a  denomination  of  his  own.” 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  property  was  transferred 
to  Francis  Asbury,  Superintendent  M.  E.  Church  in 
1788,  and  that  he  transferred  it  to  Trustees  in  1806, 
probably  because  of  regulations  made  at  the  Conference 
of  1796  for  the  first  time,  that  a  certain  form  of  deed 
should  be  used  for  the  transfer  of  all  church  property. 

The  witnesses  to  the  first  deed  (May  19th,  1788), 
were  Gressett  Davis,  Nathaniel  Lee,  Stith  Parham, 
and  Joseph  Harding. 

The  Trustees  to  whom  Asbury  conveyed  the  prop¬ 
erty  by  deed  dated  February  2d,  1806,  were  Nathan¬ 
iel  Lee,  Thomas  Young,  Joseph  Harding,  Edward 
Hobbs,  and  Archer  Brown.  The  witnesses  were 
John  Potts,  John  Cox,  and  Samuel  Pelham.  The  con¬ 
sideration  was  $61.50. 

On  July  7th,  1818,  Thomas  Young,  Nathaniel  Lee, 
Allen  Archer,  Thomas  Stroud,  Peter  McCulloch,  and 
John  Stith,  Trustees,  conveyed  the  lot  to  George 
Keith  Hollaway  for  $2,354.60. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  exact  time  the  house  was 
constructed,  but  in  1804  Petersburg  was  given  as  a 
station  and  a  “proper”  preacher  was  stationed  there 
in  accordance  with  Asbury’s  expressed  intention.  It 


54 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


was  a  very  simple  frame  structure,  and  evidently  re¬ 
quired  only  a  short  time  to  build.  A  description  reads, 
“it  was  very  small,  unique  of  its  kind  and  showing* 
any  amount  of  props,  beams  and  girders.”  It  was  un¬ 
satisfactory  and  constantly  in  need  of  repair.  It  was 
also  enlarged  from  time  to  time,  and  a  gallery  added 
for  colored  people.  In  1810  Bro.  Lee  was  given  the 
contract  for  repairing  the  meeting  house,  (This  was 
probably  Nathaniel  Lee)  and  asked  for  his  bill,  which 
was  approved.  He  was  then  given  the  contract  to 
enclose  it  with  a  fence,  and  later  to  glaze  the  win¬ 
dows.  In  1811  he  was  paid  $30.00  for  making  six 
benches,  and  in  1813  he  was  “requested  to  make  as 
soon  as  practicable  Batten  Window  and  Shutters  for 
the  windows  in  the  meeting  house  galleries.”  It  was 
in  bad  shape  again  soon  and  Bro.  Lee  had  to  make 
extensive  repairs,  “cart  some  gravel  to  fill  up  the  step 
at  the  door,”  repair  the  fence,  and  “put  a  latch  on 
the  door  of  the  meeting  house.” 

In  1817  it  was  found  that  the  fence  had  been  put 
over  on  the  street  line  and  it  was  ordered  removed 
and  repaired.  Bro.  Wm.  Johnson  was  given  this  job, 
“and  directed  that  he  have  weights  fixed  to  the  doors, 
and  a  base  for  the  door,  and  also  that  he  have  2  larger 
tins  prepared  to  catch  the  water  which  falls  from  the 
stove  pipe;  and  the  chandelier  repaired  and  candle 
stick  so  as  to  illuminate  the  church.”  This  entry  also 
is  interesting:  Feb.  17,  1817.  “Ordered  that  Wm.  M. 
Johnson  repair  the  doors,  windows  and  benches  of  the 
church  broken  during  Conference.”  The  Conference 
of  1817  must  have  been  a  stormy  session.  It  was 
thought  that  the  above  references  might  be  interest¬ 
ing,  giving  as  they  do  the  small  details  of  the  work  of 
the  Board  of  Stewards  of  that  day.  Other  items  of 
interest  during  this  period  are  as  follows: 

“Resolved  that  Thos.  Young  and  E.  Sullivan  inquire 
and  recommend  a  person  suitable  to  fill  the  place  of 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  55 


sexton  and  that  $20.00  be  the  stated  salary  to  be  paid 
him  annually.” 

Sextons  must  have  been  “born,”  not  “made”  in  those 
days. 

“Thos.  Young,  N.  Lee  and  Bro.  Botner  be  and  are 
hereby  appointed  to  keep  order  during  divine  ser- 
vice. 

The  church  did  its  own  policing— even  worshipping 
God  was  strenuous  then. 

“Resolved  that  Sampson,  a  blackman,  be  and  is  here¬ 
by  appointed  Sexton,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  regular¬ 
ly  open  and  shut  the  doors  and  windows  on  meeting 
days — to  light  and  turn  the  candles,  to  sweep  out  the 
house  and  brush  down  the  pulpit  and  benches,  and  as 
often  as  needful  to  scour  out  the  house,  and  when  a 
stove  is  prepared  to  light  and  keep  up  good  and  com¬ 
fortable  fires  in  cold  weather  and  also  to  keep  out  all 
dogs  at  all  times  and  seasons.” 

“Resolved  that  every  member  of  this  meeting  who 
neglects  to  attend  shall  incur  the  penalty  of  25c.”  And 
the  record  shows  that  they  “paid  up”  like  men,  when 
they  couldn’t  give  a  good  excuse. 

“Resolved  that  the  Secretary  make  out  a  list  of  all- 
delinquents  on  the  subscription  paper  for  the  purpose 
of  enlarging  ana  repairing  the  meeting  house.”  Evi¬ 
dently,  in  some  respects,  the  times  do  not  change. 

“Resolved  that  the  stationed  preacher  be  allowed 
$10.00  per  month  for  his  board.” 

“Ordered  that  two  persons:  namely,  Thos.  Rosser 
and  Peter  McCullough,  be  appointed  to  stand  at  each 
door  of  the  Methodist  Meeting  House  once  a  month 
with  plates  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  contributions.” 

“Ordered  that  an  assistant  be  appointed  to  Bro. 
Stroud  to  attend  the  collections  at  the  female’s  door. 
Bro.  Lee  was  forthwith  appointed,  the  days  of  collec¬ 
tion  altered  from  monthly  to  weekly.” 


56 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


The  earliest  reference  to  members  in  any  extant 
records  of  the  church  is  in  1810.  Benj.  Devany  was 
the  stationed  preacher.  There  were  only  two  trustees 
present  as  disclosed  by  the  minutes  of  this  meeting. 
Thos.  Young  and  Nathaniel  Lee,  and  as  the  Discipline 
required  either  5,  7  or  9,  5  additional  Trustees  were 
elected-viz : 

Enoch  Sullivan  in  place  of  Jos.  Harding — de¬ 
ceased. 

Sam’l.  Hart  in  place  of  Edward  Hobbs — removed. 

Peter  McCullough  in  place  of  Archer  Brown — re¬ 
moved. 

John  Cox. 

Peyton  Lynch — many  meetings  of  the  Trustees 
were  held  at  his  house. 

Later  on  Sam’l.  Hart  was  appointed  Sec’y.  and  Treas. 
in  place  of  Enoch  Sullivan,  who  was  removed,  and 

Joseph  Brown  was  appointed  Trustee  in  his  place 
— removed  in  1815. 

J.  Grey — offered  the  use  of  his  home  for  a  meeting. 

John  Potts  “withdrew”  from  the  Stewards  in  1811. 
One  of  the  early  preachers  was  John  Potts — Received 
in  1796.  Located  in  1809.  Lay  preacher  in  1814. 

Allen  Archer — elected  in  1813  a  Trustee  and  1815 
a  Steward. 

Thos.  Potts — meetings  held  at  his  house. 

Thos.  Rosser — a  Class  Teacher  in  1816. 

W.  M.  Johnson — a  Class  Teacher  in  1816. 

Joseph  Jones — a  Class  Leader  in  1816. 

T.  Shands — member  in  1816  and  a  lay  preacher. 

Thos.  A.  Stroud — a  Class  Leader  in  1818.  Trustee 
in  place  of  Peyton  Lynch  1817. 

Robt.  Roane — a  Class  Leader  in  1818. 

Thos.  Rosser — Trustee  for  a  short  time  in  1817. 

John  Stith — Trustee  1818  in  place  of  Thos.  Rosser. 

It  will  be  seen  from  comparing  this  list  with  other 
data  that  the  membership  of  the  Church  from  1773  to 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  57 

1818  was  composed  of  business  men,  merchants,  etc. 
The  older  families  who,  through  their  wealth  and  posi¬ 
tion,  dominated  the  social  and  political  relations  of  the 
town  were  mainly  Episcopalians — The  Established 
Church.  Methodism  was  too  new  to  gather  in  the  old 
firmly  fixed  families  to  any  degree,  but  it  did  attract 
men  of  independence,  men  who  never  failed  to  work 
out  a  new  way,  if  necessary,  to  what  they  wanted, 
whether  it  was  in  religion  or  business.  The  Bollings, 
Herberts,  Harrisons,  Shores,  Maitlands,  Murrays, 
Robertsons,  Poythresses,  Atkinsons,  Taylors,  Armi- 
steads,  were  Episcopalians  and  the  leaders  in  political 
matters.  This  state  of  affairs  did  not  endure  very 
long,  however. 

The  membership  in  1805  was  37  white  and  18  col¬ 
ored.  In  1810  it  had  increased  to  100  white  and  60 
colored.  In  1820  the  membership  had  grown  to  111 
white  and  55  colored. 

FRANCIS  ASBURY  IN  PETERSBURG 

In  1775,  Francis  Asbury,  who  was  sent  over  by 
Wesley  and  received  in  1771,  was  sent  to  Norfolk  and 
continued  at  that  station  about  5  months  and  then 
went  up  to  Brunswick  Circuit.  He  was  the  pioneer 
Bishop  of  the  Methodist  church  in  America.  When  he 
landed  in  Philadelphia  he  found  600  Methodists  in 
America  and  when  he  died  in  1816,  the  number  had 
grown  to  more  than  200,000.  He  was  in  the  ministry 
55  years  and  45  years  were  spent  in  traveling  over  a 
circuit  of  5,000  miles,  into  every  known  part  of  the 
United  States.  “During  the  period  of  his  ministry 
he  preached  not  less  than  18,000  sermons,  presided  in 
more  than  200  Annual  Conferences,  ordained  more 
men  to  the  ministry  than  any  other  man  ever  did,  and 
travelled  200,000  miles. ”  According  to  these  state¬ 
ments  he  travelled  a  mile  for  every  member. 

He  kept  a  journal  or  diary  and  mentions  Petersburg 
and  Brunswick  Circuit  throughout  his  book.  He  left 


58 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Norfolk  October  30,  1775  and  went  by  Southampton 
Courthouse  to  Brunswick,  and  reached  Petersburg  on 
Nov.  28th.  His  entry  is  brief  and  not  enthusiastic: 
"‘Preached  twice  in  Petersburg  on  the  Lord’s  day. 
Hope  there  will  be  some  faithful  souls  found  here.” 
He  was  back  in  Petersburg  on  Jan.  10,  1770,  and  rec¬ 
ords  that  he  preached  twice,  and  that  “Deep  serious¬ 
ness  sat  on  the  minds  of  the  people  under  the  preaching 
at  friend  L’s”  (meaning  Nathaniel  Lee,  the  father  of 
Jesse  Lee).  On  May  11,  1780,  he  came  again  to 
Petersburg,  “sick,  but  spoke  at  Bro.  Harding’s”  (re¬ 
ferring  to  Joseph  Harding  one  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  church  here  and  a  Trustee,  who  died  in  1810. 
He  was  much  loved  by  Asbury) .  The  entry  of  May 
12th  is  interesting:  “In  Petersburg,  our  friends,  who 
had  a  little  religion  before  these  times,  have  declined. 
I  fear  their  hearts  are  worldly.  Went  to  Nathaniel 
Lee’s  and  preached  to  about  50  people,  the  congrega¬ 
tion  small  owing  to  a  muster  and  cock  fight.”  The 
sarcasm  of  the  good  old  Bishop  is  but  thinly  veiled — 
not  even  expressing  any  sorrow  at  the  superior  in¬ 
ducement  of  a  cock  fight  to  his  preaching. 

He  traveled  back  and  forth  through  Virginia,  and 
on  May  5,  1783,  came  to  Petersburg  and  went  on  to 
Conference  at  Ellis’s  Chapel  in  Sussex  County.  He 
says  “Found  the  people  very  poor  in  Virginia,  could 
with  difficulty  get  food  for  self  or  horse.”  On  April 
10,  1786  “rode  through  rains  to  N.  Lee’s.”  Nathaniel 
Lee  was  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  church  in 
Petersburg  and  lived  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  town 
in  Prince  George  County.  He  preached  in  Petersburg, 
but  “had  a  dull  time.”  June  8,  1788,  Asbury  preach¬ 
ed  again  in  Petersburg,  where  he  came  to  hold  Con¬ 
ference,  the  first  conference  held  in  Petersburg.  “The 
town  folks  were  remarkably  kind  and  attentive.” 
Five  days  later  he  “preached  a  pastoral  sermon  under 
a  large  arbor  near  the  borders  of  the  town.”  The  new 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH 


59 


church  on  Market  Street  had  not  at  that  time  been 
erected. 

Lee  says  “This  Conference  was  appointed  at  Benja¬ 
min  Crawleys,  in  Amelia  County,  but  by  some  means 
he  lost  his  reason  and  the  Conference  could  not  meet 
at  his  house,  and  were  under  the  necessity  of  meeting 
in  the  town  of  Petersburg.” 

We  can  but  wonder  whether,  even  in  those  days  of 
generous  and  boundless  hospitality,  the  prospect  of 
entertaining  an  entire  Conference  had  anything  to  do 
with  the  mental  disturbance  of  this  brave  gentleman. 

Not  quite  a  year  later,  in  April,  he  and  Dr.  Coke 
came  to  Petersburg.  He  says  “I  had  a  disagreeable 
feeling  while  here  there  is  a  spiritual  death  among 
the  people.”  On  June  12,  1790,  holding  Conference 
here,  he  complains  “I  did  not  wonder  that  there  was 
not  a  greater  work  of  religion  in  this  place  when  I 
learned  that  they  went  sometimes  3  or  4  weeks  without 
preaching.  Let  some  cry  out  we  have  no  faith  for 
Petersburg.” 

However,  Petersburg  must  have  entertained  the 
preachers  comfortably,  for  Conference  was  held  here 
again  in  1791.  Bishop  Asbury  brought  Bishop  Coke 
with  him.  Two  Bishops  at  one  time  in  little  Peters¬ 
burg  and  two  such  Bishops.  Bishop  Coke  was  enter¬ 
tained  at  Bro.  Gressett  Davis’  and  Bishop  Asbury 
by  Bro.  Joseph  Harding.  It  may  be  inferred  from  this 
arrangement  that  Bros.  Davis  and  Harding  must  have 
been  two  of  the  “big  men”  of  the  church.  In  1793 
Conference  was  again  held  in  Petersburg  and  it  was 
agreed  that  the  Conference  of  1794  should  be  held  in 
Petersburg,  but  “Rumor  of  small  pox  in  Petersburg 
induces  us  to  hold  our  Conference  at  Sister  Mabry’s 
in  Greenville.”  Bishop  Asbury  in  all  of  his  travel¬ 
ings  never  failed  to  stop  in  Petersburg.  “Nov.  19, 
1795,  came  cold  and  hungry  to  my  affectionate  kind 
adopted  son,  J.  Harding’s,  in  Petersburg”  and  “Nov. 


60 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


12,  1796.  In  Petersburg,  spent  the  evening  at  J. 
Harding’s.”  We  do  not  know  anything  of  J.  Harding 
now,  but  these  simple  words  bring  to  our  mind  a  genial, 
affable,  kind  and  hospitable  man,  welcoming  the  good 
old  Bishop  affectionately,  allaying  his  hunger,  and  then 
seating  him  in  a  comfortable  big  chair  in  front  of  a 
great  big  fire  in  the  large  old  fireplace.  No  wonder 
the  Bishop  liked  to  come  to  Bro.  Harding’s,  and  what 
a  testimonial  to  be  read  through  the  ages  to  “J.  Hard- 
mg. 

Many  men  have  done  less  and  thought  they  were 
famous,  and  have  received  less  attention  from  their 
contemporaries  and  less  from  posterity.  In  1789  he 
came  this  way  again  but  was  “laid  up”  at  Bro.  Drom- 
goole’s  in  Brunswick,  where  he  took  “an  extraordi¬ 
nary  diet” — a  drink  made  of 

“1  Qt.  Hard  Cider,  100  nails 
A  handful  of  black  snakeroot 
A  handful  of  fennel  seed 

A  handful  of  wormwood,  boiled  from  a  quart 
to  a  pint,  taking  a  wine  glass  full  every 
morning.”  Bishop  Asbury  possessed  a 
wonderful  constitution. 

He  was  in  Petersburg  again  at  various  times,  but 
this  entry  should  be  noted  “April  18,  1801.  In  Peters¬ 
burg,  preached  the  funeral  of  Devereaux  Jarratt,  who 
was  settled  in  Bath  Parish  from  1763  to  1801.  He 
was  the  first  who  rescued  our  despised  preachers,  took 
them  to  his  house  and  formed  societies.” 

Under  date  of  March  19,  1803,  we  read  “We  contem¬ 
plate  placing  a  proper  station  preacher  in  Petersburg ; 
and  the  building  a  new  brick  church  60  or  71  by  40 
feet  and  two  stories  high ;  but  this  like  many  other  of 
our  great  and  good  designs  may  fall  through.”  Fif¬ 
teen  years  later  the  new  church  was  built  on  Union 
Street.  They  moved  slowly,  but  surely,  in  those  days. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  61 


The  Bishop  “passed  through’’  Petersburg  in  succeed¬ 
ing  years,  but  we  know  the  sorrow  in  his  heart,  when 

he  penned  these  words.  “Feb.  17,  1808.  Reached 
Petersburg,  lodged  at  Edward  Lee’s.  Joseph  Harding 
is  no  more.  He  was  with  us  in  Norfolk  in  1772.  He 
was  a  man  of  labor  and  sorrow,  meek  and  benevolent. 
Preached  in  Petersburg  on  February  17th.  After  meet¬ 
ing  rode  home  with  John  Ryall  Bradley.” 

He  only  visited  Petersburg  once  more,  at  the  Con¬ 
ference  of  1810.  He  was  very  old  and  his  travels  were 
nearly  done.  His  entry  simply  recites  “A  weary  ride 
brought  us  to  Petersburg.”  Poor  old  man— “weary 
with  well-doing” — Petersburg,  but  his  friend  J.  Hard¬ 
ing  was  not  there — he  was  awaiting  him  “on  the 
other  shore.” 


UNION  STREET  CHURCH-1818-1842 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Union  Street  Church 

WHAT  memories  and  recollections  the  same  in¬ 
vokes  !  To  a  Petersburg  Methodist  even  of  the 
present  time — more  than  one  hundred  years 
after  its  erection — there  arises  some  sub-conscious 
thought,  ‘Tve  heard  that  name”,  and  to  a  Methodist 
of  the  preceding  generation  it  is  as  if  a  vagrant  wind 
had  stirred  the  strings  of  the  harp  which  they 
thought  was  stilled  forever. 

Union  Street  Church  was  constructed  in  1818,  and 
was  last  used  in  1903 — nearly  one  hundred  years  de¬ 
voted  to  the  service  of  God.  Not  one  thing  in  all  that 
time  happened  within  its  walls  to  take  away  the 
sacred  character  of  the  edifice. 

This  old  church  witnessed  revivals  of  religion  that 
increased  the  strength  of  Methodism.  It  saw  its  won¬ 
derful  growth  and  it  saw  its  division;  and  then  it  be¬ 
came  the  church  in  which  that  division  was  made 
effective  by  the  organization  of  the  Southern  Church. 
Stranger  still,  the  Southern  branch,  to  which  it  be¬ 
longed,  gave  this  church  to  their  colored  brethren; 
so  that  the  unwitting  cause  of  the  controversy,  in 
the  end  received  the  church  as  a  gift  from  the  South¬ 
ern  organization,  which  left  its  Northern  brethren, 
because  of  a  difference  of  opinion  on  the  treatment 
of  these  same  “colored  brethren”.  How  futile  and 
trivial  the  arguments  of  men  must  have  seemed  to 


64 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


this  old  church.  How  its  walls  must  have  resounded 
to  “God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way,  his  wonders  to 
perform”. 

This  old  church  saw  its  beloved  community  pro¬ 
gress  from  a  small  village  to  a  prosperous  town ;  from 
unpaved  streets  to  asphalt  pavements;  from  candles 
to  electric  lights.  It  was  built  when  the  fastest 
method  of  transportation  was  by  a  slow-moving  boat 
on  the  river;  it  remained  to  hear  the  whistle  of  the 
steam  locomotive  as  it  passed  by  within  half  a  block 
of  it,  and  it  heard  the  grinding  of  the  electric  car, 
as  it  passed  the  same  distance  from  it  on  three  sides; 
unveiled  in  its  existence  the  mysteries  of  steam  and 
electricity. 

It  was  erected  when  the  country  was  victorious 
for  the  second  time  over  England;  it  heard  the  pe- 
culiarly-personal  triumphing  of  Petersburg  in  the 
War  with  Mexico,  in  that  the  United  States  won  that 
war  under  the  leadership  of  a  Petersburg  man;  it 
went  through  the  conflict  of  the  War  between  the 
States  and  heard  the  shot  and  shell  hurtling  over  and 
around  it.  It  heard  once  more  the  shouted  triumphs 
of  a  united  people  after  the  war  with  Spain. 

It  was  erected  “for  the  Glory  of  God”;  it  was 
pulled  down  to  make  way  for  a  warehouse  of  com¬ 
merce. 

We  have  seen  that  the  Methodists  were  not  satis¬ 
fied  with  their  building  on  Market  Street,  and  that 
Asbury  away  back  in  1803  noted  that  they  contem¬ 
plated  at  that  time  erecting  a  brick  church  “60  or 
71  x  40  feet,  and  two  stories  high”.  Hard  times  in 
the  country  at  large  were  reflected  within  this  little 
congregation  and  first  for  one  reason  and  then  an¬ 
other  the  plan  was  not  carried  through  until  1818. 
By  that  time  the  residential  section  was  going  south, 
away  from  the  river,  to  higher  and  healthier  loca¬ 
tions,  and  it  was  thought  advisable  to  sell  the  lot  on 
Market  Street,  and  buy  the  lot  on  Union  Street.  The 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  65 


original  intention  was  to  build  a  new  meeting  house 
on  the  lot  on  Market  Street,  as  shown  by  this  entry  in 
the  records:  “May  19th,  1818.  Thos.  A.  Stroud, 
John  Stith  and  Belfield  Starke  were  appointed  Com¬ 
missioners  on  behalf  of  the  church  to  contract  for 
the  building  of  a  new  meeting  house  on  the  lot  now 
owned  by  the  Society  on  Market  Street  and  to  use 
such  parts  of  the  old  in  the  building  of  the  new  that 
they  may  think  proper. ”  It  was  finally  decided  to 
move  from  the  Market  Street  lot,  and  they  purchased 
from  Pleasant  Aiken  a  lot  on  Union  Street.  The  pop¬ 
ulation  of  Petersburg  at  this  time  was  6,500. 

The  lot  on  Market  Street  was  sold  for  $2,354.00 — 
69i/2  feet  front.  Asbury,  for  the  Society,  had  bought 
it  in  1788  for  $61.00.  The  lot  on  Union  Street  cost 
$1,825.00.  A  full  financial  statement  of  monies  re¬ 
ceived  and  expended  for  purchase  of  lot  and  building 
of  Union  Street  Church  is  recorded  in  Stewards’  Min¬ 
ute  book  at  meeting  of  April  23,  1823.  The  construc¬ 
tion  was  awarded  to  two  stewards  of  the  church : 
Allen  Archer  did  the  brick  work  for  $1,503.00  and 
Nathaniel  Lee  the  wood-work  for  $2,100.00. 

It  was  probably  finished  by  1820.  The  membership 
at  this  time  numbered  one  hundred  and  eleven  white 
and  fifty-five  colored.  There  was  a  gallery,  the  right- 
hand  one,  reserved  for  the  colored  people.  The  sexes 
were  seated  separately — women  to  the  right  of  the 
preacher  and  men  to  the  left.  It  was  begun  in  the 
pastorate  of  Rev.  Fletcher  Harris,  but  he  died  before 
it  was  completed,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  James 
McAden.  It  was  the  most  pretentious  church  building 
in  town  at  that  time.  The  Presbyterians  had  a  church 
built  in  1812  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  the  Masonic 
Building  on  Tabb  Street. 

The  Episcopalians  also  had  a  new  church  on  Court¬ 
house  Hill,  and  a  little  later  on  Sycamore  Street  front¬ 
ing  Franklin  Street. 


66 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


While  the  church  was  being  built,  Rev.  Andrew 
Syme,  “good  old  parson  Syme”  tendered  the  Episcopal 
Church  on  Courthouse  Hill  to  the  Methodists. 

The  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  joined  forces  in  a 
great  revival  not  long  after  the  church  was  built  and 
as  a  result  there  were  about  two  hundred  accessions  to 
the  Methodists  and  one  hundred  to  the  Presbyterians. 
This  was  in  1823  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  H.  G. 
Leigh. 

It  was  also  in  this  time  that  the  names  of  Disosway, 
Lewis  Mabry  and  William  Brownley  appear  officially 
for  the  first  time.  They  were  prominent  for  so  long 
and  of  such  service  to  the  church  that  they  are  entitled 
to  special  notice. 

In  1824  the  doors  were  thrown  open  to  the  Virginia 
Conference,  Bishop  George  preaching  and  in  1827 
again  was  received  the  Virginia  Conference  with 
Bishops  Smith,  McKendree  and  Soule.  Petersburg  was 
becoming  used  to  Bishops  by  this  time,  and  they  didn’t 
create  the  stir  they  once  did. 

That  the  Methodists  of  Petersburg  were  desirous  of 
giving  the  negroes  the  benefits  of  religion  is  shown  by 
the  appointment  in  1827  of  a  committee  of  three,  Seth 
Hill,  Theo.  Stroud,  and  John  Myrick  “to  contract  for 
a  lot  and  secure  proposals  for  building  a  church  for  the 
benefit  of  the  colored  members  of  our  church.”  In 
those  days  they  did  things,  for  in  two  months  the  com¬ 
mittee  reported  that  a  lot  had  been  bought  on  Halifax 
Street  from  Mr.  Thomas  Nelson  for  $150.00,  and  the 
amount  was  ordered  to  be  paid.  This  was  “Ebenezer 
Church,”  not  far  from  Gill  Street.  Later  this  church 
was  sold  to  the  Presbyterians  in  1845,  and  by  a  resolu¬ 
tion  the  money  was  used  to  assist  in  building  High 
Street  Church,  and  the  Union  Street  Church  was  then 
loaned  to  the  colored  people  and  afterwards  given  to 
them. 

In  1830,  the  white  membership  of  the  church  was 
two  hundred  and  fifty-seven,  and  the  colored  one  hun- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  67 


dred  and  sixty.  It  was  necessary  to  enlarge  the  church 
and  also  to  help  the  colored  people  to  obtain  a  church 
of  their  own.  In  pursuance  of  the  first,  the  church 
borrowed  $1,000  from  R.  M.  Taylor  to  enlarge  the 
church  and  erect  a  Sabbath  School  Room,  Class  Rooms, 
etc.  This  is  the  first  mention  of  a  Sabbath  School,  or 
as  it  is  now  called  Sunday  School. 

STORY  OF  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TO  1846 

It  would  be  interesting  to  pause  here  for  a  while  and 
note  the  development  of  the  Sunday  School,  generally, 
as  well  as  trace  it  up  to  the  time  of  moving  from  the 
Union  Street  Church  to  Washington  Street  Church. 

“Sunday  Schools”  were  an  outgrowth  of  the  great 
industrial  expansion  in  the  latter  part  of  the  18th 
century.  Child  labor  was  prevalent,  and  there  was 
recognized  the  need  for  instruction  of  these  little  labor¬ 
ers,  who  were  growing  up  in  ignorance,  due  to  their 
daily  labor.  At  first  these  schools  were  held  on  Sat¬ 
urday  as  well  as  Sunday,  and  the  instruction  was  secu¬ 
lar  as  well  as  religious.  Then  the  Sunday  Schools  were 
confined  to  religious  instruction  solely,  as  economic 
conditions  grew  better.  John  Wesley  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  in  the  field  and  taught  a  Sunday  School  in 
Savannah  as  early  as  1737.  The  Methodists  have 
always  laid  great  stress  on  this  feature  in  religious 
education.  The  Sunday  School  is  a  feeder  to  the  church, 
and  is  also  a  great  educational  asset. 

There  were  probably  Sunday  Schools  in  the  Metho¬ 
dist  church  in  Petersburg  before  1830,  but  they  were 
supposedly  put  under  the  general  head  of  “classes” 
for  religious  instruction — the  children  as  well  as  adults. 
As  seen  above,  in  that  year  special  provision  was  made 
for  the  accommodation  of  Sunday  School  classes.  From 
that  time  the  work  went  forward  rapidly  and  usually 
the  first  step  in  the  organization  of  a  new  church  was 
the  establishment  of  a  Sunday  School. 


68 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


In  1836,  a  lot  on  Plum  Street  was  deeded  to  the 
Trustees  Thomas  A.  Stroud,  Allen  Archer,  William 
Clarke,  Lewis  Mabry,  William  Brownley,  Joel  Rosser, 
Beverly  Drinkard,  Joseph  McD.  Anderson,  and  Thomas 
Branch.  There  had  been  for  many  years  a  “society” 
small  in  numbers,  but  strong  in  faith  and  enthusiasm 
on  Plum  Street,  but  they  had  worshipped  mainly  at  the 
Market  Street  Church.  A  few  references  are  found 
here  and  there  to  the  Plum  Street  Society  but  nothing 
in  sufficient  detail  upon  which  to  construct  its  history. 
For  instance,  a  reference  to  “Plum  Street  Church”  as 
being  establishd  in  1833.  Like  the  beginning  of  so 
many  other  churches,  it  persisted  in  the  guise  of  a 
Sunday  School  until  1841,  when  the  members  of  Plum 
Street,  with  the  co-operation  and  assistance  of  some 
influential  members  of  Washington  Street  Church,  re¬ 
moved  from  lowly  Plum  Street  to  the  more  aristocratic 
High  Street  and  founded  the  Church  by  that  name. 
The  lot  on  Plum  Street  was  sold  in  1845  for  the  benefit 
of  the  High  Street  Church,  as  had  been  the  lot  on  Hali¬ 
fax  Street,  bought  for  the  colored  people.  It  should 
not  be  amiss  to  stop  for  a  moment  and  pay  tribute  to 
the  unselfishness  of  Washington  Street  Church  and  its 
members.  In  the  desire  to  promote  the  general  good 
of  Methodism  in  the  city,  it  gave  of  its  means  unhesi¬ 
tatingly,  and  in  every  transaction  in  real  estate  for  the 
better  location  of  the  new  churches,  where  it  made  a 
profit,  it  turned  it  over  to  help  the  struggling  church. 
In  addition  it  gave  of  its  own  membership  for  the 
express  purpose  of  puttting  the  new  organization  on  a 
stronger  basis.  It  is  a  wonderful  lesson  the  fore¬ 
fathers  in  Methodism  taught  us.  Locations  were  agreed 
upon  by  all,  as  would  best  further  the  interests  of 
Methodism,  and  everybody  threw  themselves  into  the 
work.  Whatever  sacrifice  was  needed  was  made  with¬ 
out  question. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  69 

The  report  to  the  Quarterly  Conference  under  date 
December  7,  1837,  shows  two  schools: 

Union  Street,  No.  1 — 1  Supt.,  1  Asst.  Supt.,  16  male 
and  16  female  Teachers  and  197  Scholars. 

Plum  Street,  No.  2 — 1  Supt.,  1  Asst.  Supt.,  5  Teach¬ 
ers. 

The  report  of  December  3,  1840,  by  A.  Dibrell, 
shows : 

Union  Street,  No.  1 — 2  Supts.,  1  Asst.  Supt.,  2 
Librarians,  19  Male,  22  Female  Teachers  and  147 
Scholars. 

Plum  Street,  No.  2 — 1  Sec’y,  1  Librarian,  8  Male 
and  9  Female  Teachers. 

If  these  figures  are  correct,  there  seems  to  have  been 
the  desire,  if  not  the  necessity,  for  every  third  person 
to  be  a  teacher  at  the  Union  Street  School. 

A  few  years  before  this  Union  Street  had  aided  the 
Methodists  in  Ettrick  in  the  formation  of  a  Sunday 
School  and  the  report  of  July  21,  1842,  made  by  Wil¬ 
liam  A.  Smith  reports  three  Sunday  Schools,  viz. : 
Union  Street,  No.  1 ;  Plum  Street,  No.  2;  Ettrick,  No.  3. 

In  1844  “Plum  Street”  had  become  High  Street  and 
Ettrick  had  its  own  organization,'  but  Washington 
Street  had  reached  out  again  to  the  Southeast  and  was 
building  up  Wesley  Chapel. 

Reports  of  October  21,  1844,  by  Rev.  Edward 
Wadsworth : 

Washington  Street,  No.  1 — 2  Supts.,  35  Teachers, 
281  Scholars. 

Wesley,  No.  2 — 2  Supts.,  9  Teachers,  40  Scholars. 

References  will  be  made  later  to  the  Sunday  School 
work  done  by  Washington  Street  from  1846. 

In  1840  Beverly  Drinkard,  Daniel  Lyon  and  John 
Ennis  were  made  a  committee  to  purchase  the  “Presby¬ 
terian  School  House  on  Halifax  Road.”  It  was  bought 
in  1844.  This  was  two  squares  above  the  present 


70 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Wesley  Church.  “Wesley  Chapel”  was  located  here 
until  1879,  when  the  site  was  sold  and  the  present  site 
bought  and  a  church  built.  Prominent  and  influential 
members  of  “Washington  Street”  were  active  in  pro¬ 
moting  this  splendid  organization  of  earnest  and  loyal 
Methodists. 

UNION  STREET  CHURCH  (CONTINUED) 

This  old  brick  church  exemplified  the  progress  of 
Petersburg.  Many  of  the  most  important  meetings, 
not  only  religious  but  secular,  were  held  in  the  church 
from  time  to  time.  Time  does  not  permit  to  search  old 
newspaper  files  to  find  there  recorded  the  meetings  for 
the  good  of  Petersburg  that  took  place  in  this  church. 
Reference  can  only  be  made  to  a  few. 

The  first  Thanksgiving  Service  ever  held  in  Peters¬ 
burg  was  in  this  Church  in  1832.  There  were  present, 
besides  the  preacher,  Minton  Thrift,  so  the  story  goes, 
only  seven  other  persons,  “the  four  eldest  children  of 
the  late  John  Walsh,  two  ladies  and  a  stranger,  a 
traveling  salesman.”  A  sad  commentary  on  the  grati¬ 
tude  of  Petersburg’s  people. 

The  pulpit  of  the  old  church  was  occupied  by  some 
of  the  most  eloquent  orators  of  that  time.  Some  of 
the  references  are  interesting. 

“The  brilliant  but  radical  and  erratic  Duval  preached 
in  Union  Street  Church.”  “His  sermons  were  delivered 
there  soon  after  the  building  was  completed.  After 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War  this  brilliant  preacher  did 
not  think  he  could  live  in  the  United  States  under  the 
Federal  administration  and  went  to  the  wilds  of  the 
tropical  regions,  where  he  remained  about  three  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Virginia,  preferring  even  the 
Federal  Government  to  the  wilds  of  South  America.” 
The  record  is  given  as  it  was  written,  but  he  must 
have  been  pretty  old  to  have  preached  in  this  old 
church  in  1820  and  lived  to  see  the  close  of  the  War 
Between  the  States. 

Maffitt,  the  noted  Irish  orator  and  preacher,  held  his 
audiences  spellbound  within  these  walls.  It  was  said 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  71 

that  he  could  recite  the  multiplication  table,  and  have 
every  one  in  the  audience  weeping  when  he  came  to 
“twelve  times  twelve.” 

Roberts,  McKendree,  George,  Soule,  Early,  Hedding, 
Andrew,  Waugh,  Pierce,  Bascom,  Wightman,  Kava- 
naugh,  either  before  or  after  they  became  Bishops, 
were  heard  in  this  church. 

The  Stewards  and  Trustees  of  the  church  were  faith¬ 
ful  to  their  trust  and  unusually  active.  Their  homes 

* 

were  thrown  open  to  Stewards’  Meetings  and  occa¬ 
sionally  they  met  at  the  homes  of  members  of  the 
church.  Not  a  bad  idea,  but  only  feasible  when  the 
number  is  small  as  it  was  then. 

Various  references  are  made  to  meetings  at  “Sister 
King’s.”  Nothing  more  is  known  of  her  after  a  hun¬ 
dred  years,  but  it  is  not  hard  to  visualize  a  motherly 
old  soul,  entertaining  the  official  members  of  her  church 
so  hospitably  that  it  became  a  pleasure  to  meet  at  her 
house  to  attend  to  the  business  of  the  church.  Women 
were  not  as  active  in  alfairs  then  as  now,  and  “Sister 
King”  has  the  unique  distinction  of  being  the  only 
woman  mentioned  in  the  official  records  of  Union  Street 
Church. 

Stewards’  Meetings  then  were  not  unlike  what  they 
are  now.  It  seems  that  they  were  careless  with  their 
records  then  as  now.  It  has  been  most  difficult  to 
piece  together,  at  this  time,  records  of  the  past,  as 
many  of  the  old  records  have  been  misplaced  or  lost. 
Note,  however,  the  following  resolution : 

“April  17,  1821.  Resolved  that  the  old  book  be 
claimed  in  which  are  kept  the  records  of  the  Stewards’ 
Meetings.” 

It  is  not  known  whether  they  succeeded  in  their 
claim,  but  if  in  existence  today  it  would  probably  be 
worth  its  weight  in  gold.  Another  curious  entry  of 
the  same  date  reads : 

“Resolved  that  we  keep  a  journal  of  the  Stewards’ 
Meetings  in  full  in  the  book  retained  for  the  purpose 


72 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


and  that  everything  contained  in  the  said  book  which 
has  not  been  officially  recorded  be  expunged.” 
November  28,  1822.  Paid  for  two  stoves  $64.75  pur¬ 
chased  of  G.  P.  Disosway.” 

Disosway  will  be  referred  to  again.  It  will  be  notic¬ 
ed  that  all  business  purchases  and  contracts  were  made 
with  members  of  the  Church,  following  the  good  old 
Methodist  principle  which  has  been  more  or  less 
ignored  in  more  recent  times,  of  business  dealing  with 
members  of  the  church  wherever  possible. 

April  24,  1823.  “The  candles  are  to  be  lighted  every 
night  when  required  by  public  or  other  services,  and 
kept  well  snuffed — particularly  attending  to  that  duty 
about  the  commencement  of  service  and  on  the  close 
of  the  first  prayer,  and  on  the  commencement  of  the 
sermon,  exhortation,  or  other  service. ” 

The  following  entry  may  throw  some  light  on  the 
method  of  illumination  100  years  ago: 

“Mar.  6,  1826.  ‘Ordered  purchase’  of  12  lamps  suit¬ 
able  for  the  church,  2  of  which  are  wanted  for  the 
pulpit ;  with  everything  complete  and  a  Barrell  of  Good 
oil.”  This  was  not  in  the  days  of  Rockefeller  and 
the  lamps  and  oil  cost  $82.62.  Candles  were  being 
used  at  the  same  time,  for  there  is  an  entry  of  the 
same  date  for  36V2  pounds  of  candles  at  $4.56. 

In  April,  1823,  John  Stith,  Treasurer  of  the  Build¬ 
ing  Committee  for  the  Union  Street  Church  reported 
among  other  things  the  following: 

“By  the  following  sums  being  the  amounts  col¬ 
lected  from  sundry  two-hundred  subscriptions  to 


date  . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,439.00 

Other  Subscriptions  . . .  191.00 


The  membership  which  built  the  church  in  1818 
evidently  extended  the  payments  of  their  subscriptions 
over  a  period  of  five  years.  This  is  the  plan  adopted 
one  hundred  years  later  by  Washington  Street  Church 
in  making  the  improvements  as  of  this  time.  Another 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  73 


thing  should  be  noted:  In  1823  there  were  “Sundry 
200  subscriptions”  netting  $2,439.00.  In  1923  the  re¬ 
port  showed  about  200  subscribers  promising  to  pay 
about  $70,000.  In  1823  the  membership  was  111  white 
and  55  colored,  and  in  1923  the  membership  is  returned 
as  1,1C0.  It  would  seem  that  every  member  of  the 
Union  Street  Church  subscribed  and  that  there  were 
gifts  also  from  outsiders,  who  wished  to  participate 
in  the  good  work..  There  is  every  reason  why  citizens 
generally  irrespective  of  denomination  should  assist  in 
building  churches  in  their  community  . 

The  individual  sums  contributed  ranged  from  $1.00 
to  $50.00.  There  was  no  subscription  over  $50.00. 
On  this  list  may  be  found  charitable  and  generously 
inclined  business  firms  and  citizens  who  were  not  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  church,  but  who  realized  the  value  of  every 
church  building  to  a  community.  They  were  undoubt¬ 
edly  thanked  at  that  time,  but  posterity  may  also  read 
their  names,  and  in  further  appreciation,  some  of 
them  are  here  set  down: 

Roger  Atkinson,  one  of  the  first  “Trustees”  of 
Petersburg. 

John  Allison,  a  prominent  lawyer. 

Bragg  &  Jones,  wholesale  and  retail  druggists. 

Robert  Bolling,  wealthy  land  owner. 

Brown  &  Armistead,  merchants. 

James  Dunlop,  dry  goods  merchant  on  Bollingbrook 
Street. 

Patrick  Durkin,  recorder  of  the  Common  Hall 
(Council) . 

John  Grammar,  clerk  of  Common  Council,  post¬ 
master. 

Samuel  Hinton,  merchant. 

John  Hinton,  city  chamberlain. 

Col.  Wm.  R.  Johnson,  large  land  owner  and  wealthy 
man. 


74 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Donald  McKenzie,  merchant  and  owner  of  a  large 
flour  mill. 

John  Osborne,  a  large  merchant  in  Blandford. 

Edward  Pescud,  mayor  in  1818. 

Wallace  &  Stephens,  merchants. 

The  great  climax  in  the  history  of  Union  Street 
Church  came  in  1846.  Its  chief  claim  to  fame  was 
that  within  this  church  was  held  the  first  General  Con¬ 
ference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

The  question  of  slavery  had  upset  the  church;  the 
Northern  members  contending  that  no  minister  should 
hold  slaves  and  remain  in  the  Communion  and  the 
delegates  from  the  South  to  the  General  Conference 
insisting  that  it  was  not  in  violation  of  the  rules  of  the 
Church.  The  Northern  members  contended  that  a 
minister  should  free  slaves  belonging  to  his  wife  even 
in  states  where  such  manumission  was  in  violation  of 
State  law.  In  fact  the  first  case,  decided  in  the  Balti¬ 
more  Conference,  caused  the  withdrawal  from  that 
connection  of  a  preacher,  who  insisted  that  he  had  no 
right  to  free  slaves,  the  property  of  his  wife,  against 
her  wish,  and  further  that  the  laws  of  Maryland  would 
not  permit  such  action,  even  if  his  wife  would  agree. 
He  was  forced  to  sever  his  connection,  nevertheless, 
to  such  a  point  had  the  heated  feeling  of  the  time  on 
this  question  gone. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1844  it  was  agreed 
that  the  Annual  Conferences  in  the  slave-holding  States 
should  have  the  right,  if  they  so  desired,  to  organize 
a  “separate  ecclesiastical  Connection.”  These  Annual 
Conferences  then  chose  delegates  to  a  Convention  in 
Louisville  in  1845  to  decide  the  question.  That  con¬ 
vention  decided  to  form,  and  bring  the  churches  there 
represented,  under  a  separate  jurisdiction.  Since 
then  the  two  divisions  have  been  indistinct,  separate 
organizations. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  75 

The  Louisville  Convention  directed  that  the  First 
General  Conference  should  “meet  on  the  first  day  of 
May,  1846,  in  the  town  of  Petersburg,  Virginia.”  On 
that  day  at  9  o’clock  A.  M.  the  Conference  assembled 
in  the  Union  Street  Church.  The  meeting  was  called 
to  order  by  Dr.  Winans  of  the  Mississippi  Conference, 
none  of  the  Bishops  having  arrived,  and  Rev.  John 
Early,  of  the  Virginia  Conference,  was  elected  Presi¬ 
dent  pro  tem.  The  Conference  was  opened  with  a  religi¬ 
ous  service,  the  delegates  presented  their  credentials, 
and  they  were  ready  for  the  work  which  was  to  mean 
two  divisions  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  the  United 
States,  each  going  its  respective  way.  The  “big  men” 
of  the  Denomination  were  there.  Virginia  had  as  dele¬ 
gates  William  A.  Smith,  John  Early,  Thomas  Crowder, 
Abraham  Penn,  LeRoy  M.  Lee,  Henry  B.  Cowles,  and 
Anthony  Dibrell.  It  might  be  noted  that  every  one  of 
these  men  had  served  this  old  church,  either  as  Pastor 
or  Presiding  Elder.  There  were  seen  Bascom  and 
Kavanaugh  and  Ralston  from  Kentucky:  Patten  and 
Sullins  from  the  Holstein  Conference:  Wallace  from 
Missouri :  McFerrin,  Paine,  Pitts  and  Green  from  Ten¬ 
nessee:  Hezekiah  Leigh  from  North  Carolina:  Capers 
and  Wightman  from  South  Carolina:  Winans  and 
Drake  from  Mississippi :  Martin  of  Florida :  Alexander 
from  Texas:  Ratcliff  e  from  Arkansas:  Summers  of 
Alabama :  Lovick  Pierce  and  Longstreet  from  Georgia, 
among  others  more  or  less  equally  noted.  Bishop  An¬ 
drew  arrived  on  May  2nd,  and  took  charge.  He  had 
already  thrown  in  his  lot  with  the  Southern  Church; 
in  fact  he  was  directly  interested  in  the  particular  case 
that  brought  on  the  separation.  The  great  moment  of 
the  day  came  when  the  venerable  Bishop  Soule,  the 
Senior  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Church,  announced  his 
allegiance,  saying  “under  a  solemn  conviction  of  duty, 
I  formally  declare  my  adherence  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South.”  What  a  chorus  of  fervent 
“amens”  must  have  greeted  his  declaration !  Two  more 


76 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Bishops  were  then  elected,  the  choice  falling  on  Capers 
of  South  Carolina  and  Paine  of  Tennessee.  The  two 
Bishops  were  ordained  in  the  new  Church — the  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  Church.  When  the  question  came  up  as 
to  the  meeting  place  of  the  next  Session,  Nashville, 
Mobile,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati  and  Petersburg  were 
nominated.  When  Petersburg  was  nominated,  the 
Conference  responded  by  a  rising  and  unanimous  vote 
of  thanks,  but  they  selected  St.  Louis.  The  Conference 
adjourned  on  May  23d,  having  been  in  session  twenty- 
three  days.  Before  adjournment  the  following  resolu¬ 
tions  were  passed : 

“Resolved,  that  the  thanks  of  the  General  Conference 
be  presented  to  the  members  and  ministers  of  the  two 
Presbyterian  churches,  and  of  the  Baptist  churches  for 
the  privilege  of  occupying  their  pulpits  during  the 
present  Session,  and  for  their  liberal  spirit  in  so  doing. 

Resolved,  that  the  grateful  acknowledgments  of  the 
Conference  be  presented  to  the  citizens  of  Petersburg, 
for  the  very  kind  and  hospitable  manner  in  which  the 
members  have  been  received  and  entertained  among 
them.” 

The  old  town  was  keeping  up  its  reputation. 

Union  Street  Church  is  historically  famous  because 
it  was  the  church  in  which  the  First  General  Confer¬ 
ence  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  met 
and  deliberated  and  completed  the  fundamental  or¬ 
ganic  law  of  the  Church,  and  perfected  its  formal 
organization.  The  next  General  Conference  should 
take  some  steps  to  mark  this  historic  place. 

In  1820  the  membership  was  111  white  and  55  col¬ 
ored. 

In  1830  the  membership  was  257  white  and  160  col¬ 
ored. 

In  1837  the  membership  was  578  white  and  colored. 

In  1840  the  membership  was  701,  all  white. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  77 


Great  revivals  took  place  in  this  old  church.  Notably 
the  one  in  1823  when  two  hundred  people  joined  the 
Methodist  Church.  Again  in  1835  under  D.  S.  Dog- 
gett  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  were  taken  into 
membership. 

The  consideration  of  the  Methodists  in  the  South  for 
their  “colored  brethren”  was  most  remarkable,  especi¬ 
ally  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  question  of  slavery  was 
the  cause  of  the  disruption  of  the  Church  into  two 
branches.  It  has  been  seen  that  galleries  were  re¬ 
served  for  the  colored  people,  and  they  were  not  only 
allowed  membership  but  everything  was  done  for  their 
spiritual  welfare.  It  is  recognized  now  by  all  students 
that  many  of  the  charges  made  by  the  Northern  Me¬ 
thodists  in  the  heat  and  turbulence  of  the  time  were 
due  to  an  intemperance  of  thought  and  speech  and  were 
not  only  unfair  but  untrue.  No  one  knew  better  than 
the  Southern  man  that  the  way  to  help  the  negro  was 
to  give  him  religious  training. 

Union  Street  Church  did  a  wonderful  work  among 
the  negroes.  When  they  had  been  trained  to  a  point 
where  they  could  handle  their  own  affairs,  the  members 
of  Union  Street  Church  bought  a  lot  on  Halifax  Street 
and  gave  it  to  them  for  a  church  site — “Old  Ebenezer” 
as  it  was  called,  famous  in  its  way.  Then,  when 
Union  Street  Church  was  left  by  the  white  member¬ 
ship  for  the  Washington  Street  Church  it  was  given 
to  the  colored  Methodists,  although  it  was  at  first 
thought  best  to  sell  it  and  use  the  proceeds  in  helping 
High  Street  Church,  with  a  white  membership.  After 
the  War  Between  the  States  the  American  Methodist 
Episcopal  Z':on  Church  took  possession  of  Union  Street 
Church  and  claimed  a  right  to  it.  The  Trustees  of 
Washington  Street  Church,  at  great  expense,  took  the 
matter  into  court,  obtained  a  writ  of  ejectment,  and 
ousted  the  claimants,  and  transferred  the  title  to  trus¬ 
tees  of  the  “Colored  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 


78 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


America”  which  was  organized  under  the  protection 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South.  It  was 
sold  by  this  organization  in  1903. 

The  last  religious  service  was  held  in  the  church  on 
February  17,  1903.  A  tender  memory  for  the  things 
that  have  given  pleasure  is  commendable,  and  such  sen¬ 
timentality  is  usually  accompanied  by  other  traits  that 
set  apart  the  people  possessing  it.  Petersburg  and  its 
people  have  been  sometimes  condemned  for  their  insis¬ 
tent  “dwelling  on  the  past,”  but  when  the  time  comes, 
and  God  forbid  it  ever  should  come,  that  the  people  of 
Petersburg  forget  their  past  in  the  rush  of  commercial¬ 
ism  this  proud  historic  old  city  will  have  lost  its  chief 
charm  and  its  greatest  asset.  No  locality  in  the  United 
States  has  a  more  wonderful  past.  It  need  not  yield 
to  Boston  nor  New  York.  It  has  taken  part  in  every 
crisis  of  this  great  country,  and  always  emerged  with 
distinction.  From  the  time  it  was  an  outpost  of  civil¬ 
ization,  one  year  after  Jamestown,  through  all  the  re¬ 
lations  of  the  new  settlers  with  the  Indians,  on  through 
Colonial  and  Revolutionary  times,  in  the  wars  with 
England  and  Mexico,  and  in  the  conflict  between  the 
States,  and  the  wars  with  Spain  and  Germany,  it  played 
its  part  and  played  it  well.  In  the  internal  affairs  of 
the  Country,  the  people  of  Petersburg  have  always 
stood  forward,  unselfishly  and  patriotically  pointing 
the  way  and  sometimes  leading  it,  with  its  representa¬ 
tives  fortified  by  a  feeling  of  pride  in  the  old  town 
and  its  achievements.  So  the  Methodists  hated  to  see 
the  old  Union  Street  Church  torn  down,  and  an  attempt 
was  made  to  keep  it  for  its  historical  associations,  but 
the  purpose  failed.  The  Epworth  League  Unions  then 
decided  on  a  memorial  farewell  service.  The  exercises 
were  dignified  and  impressive.  Singing  and  prayer — 
reading  a  sketch  of  the  church— accounts  of  all  the 
Methodist  Churches  in  the  city — and  the  benediction. 
The  large  congregation  filed  out  of  the  old  church  in 
silence — and  the  sexton  locked  the  door. 


WASHINGTON  STREET  CH  U  RC  H— 1 84  2-1 8  9  O 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Washington  Street  Church 

CHURCHES,  like  people,  have  a  period  of 
growth,  and  a  period  of  decline.  Some  exist 
longer  than  others,  but  the  life  of  a  church 
reaches  its  high  point,  and  then  begins  slowly  to 
decrease  as  surely  as  the  materials  of  which  it  is 
built  must  deteriorate.  There  are  many  causes  for 
this,  but  it  is  the  fact  that  is  to  be  considered  here, 
not  the  reasons  therefor.  In  the  case  of  Union 
Street  it  was  to  be  nearer  the  centre  of  population 
as  it  then  existed  in  Petersburg.  Possibly  there  were 
other  reasons.  Maybe  it  was  thought  better  to  build 
a  new  church- — -of  more  pretentious  architecture  than 
to  attempt  to  repair  and  improve  the  old  one.  While 
the  size  and  magnificence  of  the  church  does  not  by 
any  means  tend  to  a  more  religious  spirit,  yet  a  more 
comfortable  and  commodious  structure  certainly 
should  create  a  mental  and  bodily  spirit  of  ease  and 
restfulness.  The  congregation  had  grown  in  power 
and  influence  and  wealth.  Where  in  the  early  part 
of  the  century  the  members  as  a  rule  were  not  the 
leading  people  in  the  community,  now  the  most 
prominent  citizens  were  Methodists,  socially,  politi¬ 
cally,  and  in  business.  This  is  one  of  the  most  strik¬ 
ing  tributes  to  the  “methods’’  of  the  Methodists.  The 
rules  of  the  original  Societies  were  regulations  of 
their  members’  lives,  not  only  in  their  religious  exer- 


82 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


cises,  but  in  their  daily  intercourse.  The  leading 
merchants,  prominent  professional  men,  men  of  af¬ 
fairs,  public  officials,  were  members  of  Union  Street 
Church.  Read  the  list  of  Stewards,  Trustees  and 
Class  Leaders  in  1840  and  thereafter,  then  turn  to 
the  sketches  of  these  men  of  the  past  generation,  and 
read  the  verification.  These  men  left  their  impress 
upon  their  time,  and  even  now,  half  a  century  later 
they  and  their  works  are  still  remembered. 

Whatever  the  reasons,  the  membership  decided  to 
build  a  new  church.  The  Stewards  and  Trustees  had 
the  matter  in  charge.  They  were  men  of  judgment — 
they  decided  to  build  for  the  future,  and  today  the 
church  they  built  is  the  largest  church  auditorium  in 
the  city.  They  were  men  of  taste,  they  built  a 
church,  which  is  beautiful  in  its  architectural  design, 
and  its  interior  is  unsurpassed  in  this  country  in  its 
chaste  dignity.  This  is  not  merely  the  opinion  of  the 
enthusiastic  members,  but  travelers  of  note  have 
praised  it  extravagantly.  Not  long  ago  a  Metho¬ 
dist  Bishop  said  it  was  the  most  beautiful  auditorium 
in  the  harmony  and  simplicity  of  its  decoration  and 
arrangement  that  he  had  ever  seen ;  and  only  recently 
one  of  the  best  known  Evangelists  of  the  United 
States,  said  he  had  been  in  most  of  the  beautiful 
churches  of  this  country,  but  that  he  only  recalled 
one  which  in  his  opinion  surpassed  it  in  beauty  of 
appearance. 

The  designer  is  not  known,  and  the  record  of  its 
building  can  not  be  found.  After  all,  what  does  it 
matter?  The  result  shows  for  itself.  These  men, 
the  planners,  had  a  duty  to  perform.  They  did  it. 
They  planned  with  care  and  taste  their  “meeting 
house”  with  God.  They  watched  its  erection  with 
attention,  and  supervised  it  faithfully.  They  put 
into  its  building  their  love  and  prayers  and  their 
confidence  in  Almighty  God.  No  garish  decoration, 
no  heathen  symbols  were  used  in  its  arrangement. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  83 

Plain  and  simple;  chaste  and  dignified;  all  white  and 
gold  in  its  purity.  Their  work  speaks  yet,  and  has 
spoken  since  1842,  eighty-one  years  ago.  It  has  been 
enlarged  and  improved  to  take  care  of  its  growth,  but 
no  one  has  been  so  bold  as  to  even  insinuate  any 
change  in  the  beautiful  interior.  The  history  of 
Washington  Street  Church  is  as  wonderful  as  the 
history  of  men.  It  sheltered  the  first  General  Con¬ 
ference  of  the  Church ;  it  has  been  honored  by  all 
succeeding  Conferences  when  its  name  has  been 
mentioned  in  the  proceedings.  Its  work  has  been  con¬ 
ducted  by  some  of  the  godliest  men  of  the  church,  and 
its  pulpit  has  resounded  with  their  eloquent  pleas  on 
behalf  of  the'r  Master.  The  most  prominent  men  of 
the  Methodist  Church  and  other  denom'nat.'ons  have 
deemed  it  an  honor  to  “give  evidence”  from  its  plat¬ 
form.  Its  chancel  has  held  the  bowed  heads  of  the 
worthy  and  unworthy  for  three  and  four  generations. 
The  prayers  of  the  righteous  have  from  here  ascended 
unto  heaven;  and  the  unrighteous,  in  their  weak  un¬ 
willingness  to  yield  to  the  good,  yet  have  departed 
thence  better  men  and  women.  Its  doors  have  been 
thrown  open  to  all,  irrespective  of  creed.  Its  charities 
have  been  scattered  abroad— -its  humanitarianism  has 
been  as  broad  as  its  charity,  more  extensive  by  far  than 
the  years  of  its  existence,  or  the  number  of  its  members 
can  indicate.  Its  walls  have  echoed  the  patriotism  of 
the  country  in  three  wars ;  have  seen  the  ministrations 
to  the  soldiers  of  the  country,  some  of  whom  never 
came  back  again;  and  have  heard  fervent  and  trust¬ 
ing  requests  of  the  Almighty  for  guidance  in  times  of 
stress  and  crisis.  The  history  of  this  country  and  city 
could  almost  be  written  from  its  history,  if  its  walls 
could  talk. 

When  Washington  Street  Church  was  built  there 
were  few  churches  in  the  city.  The  first  church,  of 
course,  was  old  Bristol  Parish  in  Blandford,  of  the 
Established  (Ep’scopal)  Church.  The  next  was  the 


84 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Harrison  Street  (Methodist)  Church,  which  was  the 
outcome  of  the  efforts  of  the  membership  of  the  first 
Methodists,  who  worshipped  in  the  old  Theatre  on  Old 
Street.  Then  the  Market  Street  (Methodist)  near  the 
corner  of  Market  and  Hinton  (or  Friend)  Street  in 
1788.  The  Episcopalians  moved  to  Petersburg  from 
Blandford  and  erected  a  building  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Courthouse  in  1802,  which  was  used  at  times 
by  the  Methodists  while  they  were  building  their 
church  on  Union  Street,  the  next  church  building 
erected.  When  the  present  Washington  Street  (Meth¬ 
odist)  church  was  built  in  1842,  there  were  in  Peters¬ 
burg  the  Episcopal  Church  on  Sycamore  Street  fac¬ 
ing  Franklin,  to  which  the  Episcopalians  had  moved 
from  Courthouse  Hill,  and  from  which  in  1853  they 
went  to  their  present  Church  on  Union  Street;  also  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  on  Tabb  Street;  and  the 
First  Baptist  Church  on  Washington  Street. 

Petersburg,  at  this  time,  had  about  twelve  thousand 
inhabitants,  but  it  began  to  grow,  and  in  the  decade — 
1840  to  1850 — Methodism  enjoyed  wonderful  pros¬ 
perity.  Washington  Street  and  High  Street  Churches 
were  built;  Wesley  Chapel  and  Blandford  Chapel  were 
bought  of  the  Presbyterians,  and  the  work  started  in 
those  sections  of  the  city;  Ettrick  Chapel  was  erected 
and  the  Orphan  Asylum  established.  In  1840  there 
was  no  church  of  any  denomination  west  of  Market 
Street.  A  Sunday  School  was  conducted  and  afternoon 
services  were  held  in  a  brick  building  still  standing  on 
Plum  Street,  a  short  distance  east  of  Canal  Street.  An 
old  account  says :  “Services  were  seldom  held  at  night, 
as  they  were  likely  to  be  interrupted  by  hoodlums  who 
infested  that  section  of  the  town.”  The  same  writer 
also  states :  “The  streets  not  being  lighted,  it  was  cus¬ 
tomary  for  people  who  attended  night  meetings  to 
carry  along  a  small  candle,  protected  by  a  tin  lantern. 
Kerosene  was  not  known.  Clocks  and  watches  were 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  85 


not  plentiful  and  evening  services  were  announced  as 
beginning  at  ‘early  candlelight/  ” 

Washington  Street  Church  was  dedicated  June  26, 
1842.  From  then  until  now  it  has  steadily  grown  in 
influence  and  importance.  There  have  been  few  im¬ 
portant  changes  in  the  structure  until  the  addition  of 
the  right  and  left  wings  of  the  present  building.  The 
membership  has  increased  from  1842  until  today 
(1928)  it  has  the  largest  roll  in  its  history.  The 
people  of  Petersburg  are  a  home-loving  people  and  the 
church  of  today  has  many  families  whose  ancestors 
labored  zealously  in  the  past  affairs  of  the  church. 
This  will  be  seen  by  reading  the  sketches  of  the  Stew¬ 
ards. 

The  first  definite  mention  in  the  records  about  the 
erection  of  a  new  church  was  on  December  3,  1840, 
though  it  must  have  been  generally  discussed  before 
that  time. 

At  this  time  a  resolution  was  passed  appointing 
Thomas  Branch,  Beverly  Drinkard,  D’Arcy  Paul,  H. 
Whitmore,  William  Brownley,  Dinwiddie  Grigg,  and 
Jordan  Branch  a  committee  to  purchase  a  lot,  raise 
subscriptions,  and  procure  suitable  plan  for  the  erec¬ 
tion  of  a  new  church  according  to  the  Discipline.  It 
was  further  resolved  that  when  the  new  church  build¬ 
ing  was  erected  the  Trustees  should  sell  the  Union 
Street  Church  and  appropriate  the  proceeds  exclusively 
to  the  erection  of  a  church  in  the  Western  part  of  the 
town.  This  action  was  rescinded  at  a  later  date  and 
it  was  given  to  the  colored  people. 

Again  on  June  24th,  1841,  is  recorded: 

“William  Brownley  was  appointed  Treasurer  for  the 
new  church  fund.  D’Arcy  Paul,  Leader,  H.  Whitmore, 
and  Thomas  Branch,  Leader,  were  appointed  a  com¬ 
mittee  to  superintend  the  erection  of  the  new  church, 
with  power  to  make  arrangements  for  collecting  the 


86 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


subscript 'ons  and  give  orders  on  the  Treasurer  to  the 
builders.  ” 

No  sooner  was  the  church  erected  than  some  of  the 
members  began  to  consider  the  erection  of  new  church 
buildings  in  other  parts  of  the  city.  No  cause  can  be 
assigned  for  th‘s,  unless  the  amount  of  the  debt  to  be 
paid  off  was  a  factor  and  this  could  hardly  be  the  case, 
for  the  same  condition  would  apply  elsewhere.  Nor 
could  it  have  been  due  to  lack  of  facilities  in  the  new 
church,  for  it  was  then  and  probably  is  now  the  largest 
church  in  Southside  Virginia  and  can  hold  twelve 
hundred  people.  The  reason  probably  was  that  the 
town  was  growing  to  such  an  extent  that  the  outlying 
sections  felt  that  they  needed  a  church  nearer  their  own 
homes.  Washington  Street  showed  no  spirit  of  selfish¬ 
ness  but  helped  in  every  way  to  build  these  other 
churches,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  give  up  some  of 
their  most  prominent  leaders  in  order  to  start  the  new 
churches  in  the  best  possible  manner.  So  in  1842  we 
find  Thomas  Branch  moving  that  the  Station  be  divided 
into  two.  His  motion  was  tabled,  but  finally  carried 
about  a  year  later,  and  High  Street  Church  was  started 
with  the  membership  of  Plum  Street,  which  has  been 
referred  to  as  a  Sunday  School,  aided  by  influential 
members  of  Washington  Street,  including  Thomas 
Branch  who  lived  on  West  High  Street.  Ettrick  Sun¬ 
day  School  was  added  to  this  charge  and  the  whole 
was  called  “The  Western  Station.”  In  1844  a  lot  and 
building  on  Halifax  Street,  about  two  squares  above  the 
present  location  of  Wesley  Church,  was  purchased  by 
the  Washington  Street  Church  from  the  Presbyterians 
and  was  for  a  while  designated  as  the  “Presbyterian,” 
then  “Wesley  Chapel,”  and  this  church  was  started. 

In  this  year,  in  July,  a  resolution  was  passed  provid¬ 
ing  for  a  committee  to  act  in  conjunction  with  a  com¬ 
mittee  from  Western  Station  to  consider  the  question 
of  sending  delegates  to  the  Convention  of  the  Southern. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  87 


States,  which  was  held  in  Louisville  in  1845  to  con¬ 
sider  the  separation  from  the  Northern  Churches. 
This  committee  was  instructed  to  make  their  report 
to  the  male  members  of  both  Stations  at  a  later 
date.  The  report  was  favorable  to  the  separation  and 
the  final  result  is  known,  but  it  would  have  been  most 
interesting  to  have  been  present  at  this  joint  meeting 
of  the  male  Methodists  in  Petersburg  and  heard  the 
discussion.  This  was  the  first  of  many  very  important 
gatherings  held  in  Washington  Street  Church. 

The  next  important  meeting  in  Washington  Street 
Church  was  the  first  ordination  of  the  Bishops  elected 
by  the  First  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Epis¬ 
copal  Church,  South. 

In  October,  1846,  the  Trustees  reported  that  the 
debt  on  the  Church  still  amounted  to  $2,000.00,  and  at 
the  same  time  appointed  a  committee  to  raise  money 
and  build  a  chapel  in  Blandford.  In  addition  to  these 
activities  a  committee  was  appointed  to  establish  a 
catechetical  school  for  the  “oral  instruction”  of  colored 
children  at  the  Union  Street  Church,  and  Daniel  Lyon 
was  made  Superintendent  of  the  School.  One  year 
later  it  was  reported  that  the  colored  school  had  forty 
scholars  and  was  using  Capers  Catechism.  It  would 
seem  that  this  particular  catechism  was  a  very  appro¬ 
priate  one  for  that  use. 

There  is  a  curious  and  interesting  entry  in  the  min¬ 
utes  of  1847.  It  recites  that  a  member  of  the  church, 
calling  him  by  name,  was  expelled  “for  going  to  law” 
with  another  brother  “in  warranting  him  for  a  debt 
and  refusing  to  withdraw  the  warrant.”  What  a  scene 
the  imagination  conjures  up!  One  good  brother  want¬ 
ing  his  money  which  he  insists  is  due  by  the  other  good 
brother,  and  not  being  able  to  get  it,  using  the  only 
pacific  means  to  obtain  it.  Then  the  other  good 
brothers  expostulating  and  imploring  him  to  “let  it 
go.”  But  he  has  a  stubborn  streak  in  him  and  he 


88 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


refuses  and  undergoes  expulsion  before  he  will  give 
in.  Wonder  if  he  ever  got  his  money,  and  if  he  didn’t 
what  was  done  to  the  good  brother  who  wouldn’t,  or 
couldn’t,  pay  his  debts? 

In  these  somewhat  dry  records  of  the  past,  it  is 
refreshing  to  run  across  this  little  human  touch  that 
reminds  us  of  the  frailties  of  the  present. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  held 
on  October  18,  1849,  D’Arcy  Paul,  on  behalf  of  the 
Trustees,  arose  and  gave  the  joyful  news  to  the  assem¬ 
bled  brethren  that  Washington  Street,  Blandford, 
Wesley  Chapel,  and  Union  Street  were  all  “out  of 
debt.”  Three  new  churches  built  and  paid  for  within 
seven  years.  How  did  they  do  it?  They  must  have 
been  financiers  in  those  days. 

Then  the  need  for  a  parsonage  arose  and  a  committee 
was  appointed  “to  secure  a  lot.”  This  was  in  1852. 
The  committee  evidently  was  “asleep  on  the  job”  for 
three  months  later  that  committee  was  discharged  and 
another  was  appointed,  and  ordered  further  “to  raise 
the  money.”  It  was  done. 

Not  content  with  organizing  High  Street,  Wesley 
Chapel,  Blandford  Chapel,  and  assisting  Ettrick,  in 
1854  a  committee  was  appointed  to  procure  a  site  and 
build  another  church  after  conferring  with  High  Street 
and  Wesley  Chapel  “according  to  the  Discipline.”  The 
result  of  their  work  was  the  erection  of  Market  Street 
Church,  and  again  Washington  Street,  the  old  mother, 
gave  up  some  of  her  membership  to  the  number  of 
eighty  to  start  this  child  off  “in  the  way  it  should  go.” 
Market  Street  Church  within  the  year  has  built  “Trin¬ 
ity”  Church  on  Sycamore  Street,  two  blocks  south  of 
Washington  Street  Church. 

One  of  the  Quarterly  Conferences  of  the  Church  this 
year  (1854)  passed  a  resolution  requesting  the  Vir¬ 
ginia  delegates  to  the  General  Conference  to  “use  their 
influence  to  have  the  Discipline  amended  so  as  to  in- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  89 


crease  the  salaries  of  the  itinerant  preachers.”  Think¬ 
ing  they  might  have  more  weight  if  the  General 
Conference  was  in  their  own  bailiwick,  they  also  re¬ 
quested  that  the  Conference  be  invited  to  hold  their 
next  session  in  Petersburg.  The  invitation  was  not 
accepted. 

The  next  year  (1855)  the  Stewards  became  artistic¬ 
ally  inclined  and  had  a  fence  put  around  the  church, 
but  refused  to  put  in  “stone  steps.”  However  they 
provided  for  the  planting  of  trees,  flowers,  and  shrub¬ 
bery  on  the  lot. 

So  these  active  Stewards  “carried  on,”  reporting 
every  year  that  the  church  was  “out  of  debt”  with  the 
greatest  satisfaction.  Some  of  the  members  presented 
a  new  Communion  Service.  Others,  of  a  careful  busi¬ 
ness  training,  ascertained  that  some  of  the  records  were 
on  loose  sheets,  and  had  them  put  in  permanent  form. 
Now  the  “permanent  form”  can  not  be  found.  How 
these  entries  disclose  the  loving  care  of  the  members 
for  the  church  for  which  thev  had  so  much  love  and 
pride. 

Then  came  “the  War” — the  War  Between  the  States. 
Virginia  was  the  battlefield.  Petersburg  was  not  im¬ 
mediately  under  the  guns  until  the  Siege,  beginning  in 
1864,  and  ending  when  Petersburg  was  evacuated  in 
April,  1865.  During  the  ten  months  siege  the  steeple 
of  the  church  was  the  target  for  the  guns  of  McGilvray 
and  Steadman,  out  on  the  Federal  lines.  Their  aim 
was  poor,  however,  for  the  church  was  not  hit  although 
the  shells  from  the  enemies’  fortifications  fell  all  around 
it.  In  that  time  of  stress,  is  it  any  wonder  that  twice 
— but  only  twice — the  records  are  silent?  Not  only 
was  the  record  silent,  but  the  sweet-toned  bell  of  the 
church  that  called  the  worshippers  to  its  shrine  was 
forever  stilled,  for  in  the  dire  necessities  of  the  country 
for  metal,  the  church  had  given  it  to  the  Confederate 
States  to  be  used  in  making  cannon.  The  sweet  tone 


90 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


of  Sabbath  peace  was  lost  in  the  harsh  clangor  of 
death-dealing  artillery  of  cruel  warfare. 

An  entry  in  the  Stewards  meeting  records,  “No¬ 
vember  14,  1864,  Brother  George  B.  Jones  reported 
killed  in  battle  on  the  9th  of  June,”  when  the  city  they 
so  dearly  loved  was  surprised  by  a  sudden  attack  in  the 
rear  while  Lee  and  his  army  were  far  across  the  river 
to  the  north  protecting  Richmond.  The  old  men,  and 
the  young  boys,  wounded  soldiers  on  furlough,  gotten 
together  hastily  under  the  command  of  Col.  F.  H. 
Archer,  another  member  of  Washington  Street  and  a 
veteran  of  the  Mexican  War,  armed  with  old  muskets 
went  out  to  meet  the  enemy.  Only  one  hundred  and 
fifty  against  a  mounted  force  of  thirteen  hundred. 
They  couldn’t  win  a  victory,  but  they  could  give  their 
bodies  to  stop  the  invaders  long  enough  for  Gen.  Lee 
to  send  aid.  So  they  died — but  they  saved  the  city. 
All  the  eloquent  words  of  mortal  men  could  not  stir 
the  hearts  and  memories  of  the  people  of  Petersburg 
more,  than  the  simple  report  concerning  Steward 
George  B.  Jones  “killed  in  battle  on  the  9th  of  June.” 

This  war  note  injected  into  the  story  of  a  church 
does  not  seem  amiss  to  the  people  of  Petersburg,  for 
they  fought  for  their  State  as  they  served  their  church 
— to  the  Glory  of  God. 

The  war  ended.  Life  and  business  and  religious 
work  must  go  on,  but  how  changed  it  was.  Devastated 
in  physical  things,  all  business  gone,  there  was  naught 
left  but  Honor  and  Faith.  They  turned  to  the  con¬ 
solation  of  Religion,  but  the  church  in  which  they  wor¬ 
shipped  needed  repair,  and  the  membership  had  nothing 
to  give — they  had  given  their  all.  Oh,  the  pride  in 
their  entry,  “Washington  Street  Church  in  pretty  good 
condition!”  On  November  20th,  1866,  the  Pastor  re¬ 
ported  354  members,  “after  purging  the  Register.” 
Not  until  1871  could  anything  be  done  and  then  the 
Pastor  reported  “frescoing  walls  and  ceiling  and  paint- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  91 

ing  nearly  completed”  and  that  he  ‘‘hoped  to  secure  a 
new  organ  for  the  church.” 

About  1870,  there  was  considerable  agitation  concern¬ 
ing  German  Missions.  Money  was  collected  from  sub¬ 
scribers  to  various  parts  of  the  State,  and  chapels 
were  erected  in  Petersburg  and  Richmond  and  possi¬ 
bly  in  other  places.  The  building  in  Petersburg  was 
on  the  Northwest  corner  of  Sycamore  and  Fillmore 
Streets,  afterwards  used  by  Capt.  McCabe  as  a  school- 
house.  The  site  is  now  occupied  by  an  eye-sore  in  the 
shape  of  an  unfinished  apartment  house,  which  has 
been  there  for  several  years.  Even  the  old  “German 
Mission”  was  an  improvement  on  this  incomplete  struc¬ 
ture.  Trustees  were  appointed,  but  the  Mission  failed 
in  its  purpose  and  the  building  was  sold.  The  records 
do  not  disclose  whether  it  was  because  the  supply  of 
Germans  gave  out,  or  whether  they  got  beyond  the 
need  of  a  Mission.  Then  the  Trustees  didn’t  know 
what  to  do  with  the  money.  After  much  discussion, 
indulged  in  apparently  with  some  feeling,  it  was  de¬ 
cided  to  lend  it  to  the  German  Mission  in  Richmond 
provided  they  would  give  a  guarantee  to  return  the 
money  if  it  should  also  “prove  a  failure.”  It  was 
a  failure,  and  $250.00  of  the  money  was  given  to  Bland- 
ford  church  for  repairs  and  the  remainder  of  $803.66 
was  given  to  Wesley  Church.  If  the  Germans  were 
not  helped,  the  German  Mission  did  some  good  after 
all. 

The  church,  with  its  steeple,  was  painted  and  many 
repairs  made,  both  inside  and  out  in  1882.  The  in¬ 
surance  on  the  building  at  that  time  was  $18,000.00. 

December  12,  1882.  Resolution  was  passed  apppoint- 
ing  “J.  W.  Bradbury  to  open  a  correspondence  with 
Brother  W.  W.  Royall,  of  China,  with  a  view  of  em¬ 
ploying  two  native  missionaries  or  teachers  to  be  sus¬ 
tained  by  this  church.”  Also  “Resolved  that  the 
Quarterly  Conference  endorse  action  of  District  Stew- 


92 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


ards  recommending  a  District  Parsonage  to  be  located 
in  Petersburg”  and  pledging  Washington  Street  to 
raise  one-fifth  of  the  amount. 

November  2,  1886.  “Resolved  a  committee  be 
appointed  to  co-operate  with  a  committee  from  Market 
and  High  Street  Churches  in  advancing  the  interests 
of  Methodism  in  the  West  End.” 

In  November,  1887,  there  was  reported  a  member¬ 
ship  of  five  hundred  and  thirty-four. 

In  1890  the  exterior  of  the  church  was  extensively 
improved,  at  a  cost  of  about  $5,000,  which  was  raised 
and  paid  within  two  years.  Also  at  this  time  the 
basement  room  of  the  church  was  enlarged.  These 
improvements  were  necessary  to  meet  the  growing 
needs  of  the  church.  The  outside  portico  with  Doric 
pillars,  and  stone  steps  leading  to  it  from  either  side 
was  built,  and  the  steeple  was  made  broader  at  the  base 
and  twenty  feet  higher.  The  work  was  delayed  on 
account  of  rain  which  was  said  to  have  fallen  on  more 
than  half  the  days  from  May  1st  to  November  15th. 

It  was  thought  that  these  improvements  would  be 
sufficient  for  some  time,  but  in  the  early  part  of  the 
century  further  improvements  were  suggested.  The 
organ  was  removed  from  the  rear  of  the  auditorium 
and  put  behind  the  pulpit,  and  other  changes  were 
made.  The  total  expense  was  about  $20,000.  $8,000 

of  this  sum  was  raised,  but  the  collection  of  the  re¬ 
mainder  lagged,  and  the  church  carried  the  indebt¬ 
edness  on  loans  until  1913.”  Then  there  was  organ¬ 
ized  what  was  known  as  the  Co-operative  Board.  At 
a  church  meeting  it  was  brought  to  the  attention  of 
some  of  the  men  of  the  church  who  were  not  on  the 
Board  of  Stewards  that  this  debt  was  hanging  over 
the  church,  and  it  was  suggested  that  a  body  of  the 
younger  men  of  the  church  be  formed  for  the  express 
purpose  of  getting  rid  of  the  debt,  in  round  figures, 
about  $12,000.  This  organization  offered  its  services 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  93 


to  the  Board  of  Stewards.  The  Co-operative  Board 
was  composed  of  twenty-five  young  men,  with  duly 
elected  officers  and  a  plan  of  work.  The  first  work 
this  “Board”  accomplished  was  the  securing  of  $12,000 
in  subscriptions,  which  was  done  in  an  intensive  cam¬ 
paign  of  one  week.  The  work  of  collecting  these  sub¬ 
scriptions  extended  over  a  period  of  several  years,  and 
three-fourths  of  the  amount  was  collected  before  the 
“Board”  went  out  of  existence.  This  “Co-operative 
Board”  suggested  to  the  Board  of  Stewards  a  “budget” 
plan  for  church  expenses  which  was  adopted,  and  this 
organization  handled  it  successfully  for  the  first  year, 
when  the  collection  of  current  expenses  was  again 
taken  over  by  the  Stewards,  and  the  church  debt  was  left 
to  the  younger  body.  It  was  a  very  valuable  ad¬ 
junct  to  the  work  of  the  church,  and  it  gave  the 
younger  men  an  opportunity  to  familiarize  them¬ 
selves  with  the  needs  of  the  church,  but  its  very 
efficiency  was  its  ruin.  It  brought  into  notice  the 
younger  men,  and  the  Board  of  Stewards  was  con¬ 
stantly  recruiting  its  ranks  from  the  membership  of 
the  Co-operative  Board.  No  organization  could  stand 
this  drain  long,  and  it  was  finally  decided  to  disband. 
The  plan  worked  well  and  under  certain  modifications 
it  could  be  used  advantageously  in  every  church.  The 
younger  men  created  enthusiasm  in  church  work  not 
only  among  themselves,  but  among  the  Stewards. 
They  took  hold  at  a  time  when  they  were  most  needed, 
and  by  their  efforts  and  enthusiasm  fostered  a  spirit  of 
real  co-operation  among  the  church  members  that  put 
old  Washington  Street  back  on  its  feet  in  good  financial 
shape  and  ready  to  continue  its  work. 

In  fact  the  enthusiasm  of  these  years  was  largely 
responsible  for  the  spirit  which  enabled  the  beloved 
pastor,  Dr.  John  B.  Winn,  to  put  into  effect  a  dream 
which  he  had  for  making  Washington  Street  the  finest 
equipped  church  in  Southern  Methodism  for  the  work 


94 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


it  was  pledged  to  do.  Dr.  Winn  planned  a  “wing”  on 
either  side  of  the  main  building,  architecturally  har¬ 
monious  with  the  existing  structure,  and  connected  by 
galleries,  so  that  the  enlargement  would  take  care  of 
the  work  of  the  Sunday  School,  the  Men’s  Classes,  the 
Women’s  organizations,  church  offices  and  all  other 
activities.  It  was  a  stupendous  undertaking  and  it 
was  estimated  that  $100,000  would  be  necessary  to 
carry  it  through.  Nothing  daunted,  the  membership, 
consisting  of  1,100  names  on  the  church  register, 
pledged  themselves  to  follow  the  lead  of  the  man  who 
conceived  the  plan.  It  was  absolutely  necessary  to 
have  larger  accommodations  for  the  Sunday  School 
anyhow,  and  it  was  determined  to  make  a  thorough 
job  of  it  at  once.  Arrangements  were  made  for 
financing  it  and  the  work  has  been  finished.  In  ad¬ 
dition  a  new  $20,000  organ  was  installed.  About 
$70,000  was  pledged  in  the  first  campaign  made  to 
raise  the  money  and  the  balance  necessary  will  be 
subscribed.  The  church  was  united  as  it  was  never 
before — the  greatest  enthusiasm  prevailed — and  then 
occurred  one  of  the  things  that  the  system  of  the 
Church  is  responsible  for  and  which  may  occur  at  any 
time.  The  appointing  power  transferred  to  another 
charge  the  man  who  had  originated  the  plan,  put  it 
into  execution,  aroused  the  enthusiasm  of  his  follow¬ 
ers — who  possessed  their  love  and  loyalty  to  a  most 
unusual  degree.  The  transfer  was  made  before  the 
building  was  finished,  at  the  most  crucial  period.  The 
Board  of  Stewards  had  put  the  matter  before  the 
Bishop  and  had  not  an  inkling  that  their  leader  would 
be  taken  from  them  at  such  a  time.  The  news  came 
as  a  shock,  and  the  church  was  stunned  by  the  blow. 
It  rallied  its  forces  and  gave  loyal  support  to  the  min¬ 
ister  appointed  and  he  worked  faithfully  to  carry 
on  the  work  of  his  predecessor.  The  difficulties  con¬ 
fronting  him  and  the  church  membership  are  great, 
but  the  spirit  of  Washington  Street  is  such  that  it 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  95 


always  overcomes  difficulties,  and  it  will  overcome  this 
situation. 

The  “itinerant  system”  made  the  Methodist  Church, 
for  it  was  suited  to  conditions  existing  in  a  thinly  set¬ 
tled  country.  The  change  in  pastorates  after  four 
years’  service  also  was  instrumental  in  the  activity  and 
growth  of  the  denomination.  In  the  majority  of  cases 
it  has  worked  well.  No  system,  however,  should  be 
so  rigid  that  it  cannot  be  altered  to  meet  changing 
conditions.  Today  the  service  required  by  large  city 
churches  is  so  varied  and  onerous  that  a  pastor  has 
hardly  had  time  to  meet  his  own  congregation  before 
he  is  taken  away,  and  he  has  had  no  time  to  make  a 
place  for  himself  in  the  community.  This  is  prevent¬ 
ing  the  influence  which  Methodist  pastors  otherwise 
would  exert  in  building  up  their  churches.  There  is 
some  latitude  now  allowed  the  Bishop,  after  consulta¬ 
tion  with  his  Cabinet,  in  these  cases,  but  where  the 
Bishop  holds  to  the  theory  of  the  four-year  plan  there 
is  no  appeal  by  the  church  or  minister  from  his  de¬ 
cision.  It  seems  that  there  should  be  some  method  of 
appeal  by  the  church  laity,  as  well  as  the  preachers, 
under  certain  conditions,  to  prevent  harm  being  done 
by  an  appointing  power  not  sufficiently  acquainted 
with  the  facts,  or  ignoring  them.  In  the  intervals  of 
improving  its  property  the  church  was  active  in  all 
other  interests  of  the  denomination. 

In  1898  the  Epworth  League  Union  of  Petersburg 
and  vicinity  was  organized  at  Washington  Street 
Church.  It  existed  in  a  flourishing  condition  for  many 
years,  but  is  not  active  now.  Its  greatest  work  was 
the  attempt  to  buy  the  old  Union  Street  Church  and 
preserve  it  as  a  landmark  of  Southern  Methodism.  It 
failed  to  carry  the  plan  through,  but  held  the  last  ser¬ 
vice  at  the  old  church  in  1903,  to  which  reference  has 
been  made. 

Washington  Street  Church  in  these  later  years  has 
had  its  “ups  and  downs.”  For  various  reasons,  changes 


96 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


were  made  frequently  in  the  pastorate,  and  this  did 
not  inure  to  the  benefit  of  the  church.  In  a  city  it 
takes  some  time  for  a  pastor  to  become  acquainted 
with  his  own  congregation,  and  his  best  work  is  often 
done  when  he  has  the  opportunity  to  meet  the  people 
of  the  community  and  share  their  interests.  A  min¬ 
ister  for  only  a  year  or  two  at  a  charge  is  never  able 
to  get  the  organization  of  the  church  in  the  best  shape. 
From  1909  to  1917  only  one  minister  was  permitted 
to  remain  three  years  and  most  of  them  only  a  year 
or  two.  However,  the  love  and  attachment  of  its  mem¬ 
bership  to  the  church  is  so  great  that  even  with  these 
handicaps  it  prospered.  Its  greatest  prosperity  has 
been  since  1916.  In  that  year  it  had  a  membership 
of  about  six  hundred  and  now  it  has  eleven  hundred. 

The  work  done  by  this  church  in  that  period  is  a 
wonderful  one.  It  was  united  and  harmonious  in 
every  respect,  loving  the  preacher  in  charge  and  re¬ 
ceiving  in  return  his  best  efforts. 

Its  greatest  opportunity  came  in  the  days  of  the 
World  War.  Camp  Lee  with  sixty  thousand  soldiers 
in  training  was  located  at  the  gates  of  the  city.  All 
the  churches  recognized  the  wonderful  opportunity  of 
service,  but  Washington  Street  responded  in  a  manner 
that  could  not  be  surpassed.  Its  doors  were  open  at 
all  times  to  the  soldiers,  and  the  activities  of  the  church 
were  manifold.  Weekly  social  gatherings  were  held, 
and  the  soldier  boys  went  from  Petersburg  across  the 
seas  to  meet  the  enemy,  with  less  experience  of  the 
evils  of  camp  life  than  probably  any  other  portion  of 
the  American  army.  The  Eightieth  Division  was  the 
first  division  trained  at  Camp  Lee,  and  as  its  entire 
period  of  training  was  received  here,  Petersburg 
looked  on  it  as  its  “own.”  Its  record  shines  bright  in 
our  war  annals.  Over  one  hundred  of  its  men  joined 
Washington  Street  Church  and  about  2,000  came  in  as 
associate  members.  Other  divisions  were  trained  here 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  97 


for  a  while  and  were  taken  in  by  the  church  and  city 
as  hospitably  as  was  the  Eightieth.  No  one  will  ever 
know  but  God,  who  sees  all  things,  the  good  done  by 
this  church.  Many  boys  in  the  trenches  of  Europe, 
amid  the  horrors  of  war,  remembered  old  Washington 
Street  Church,  as  their  letters  attested.  Many  a  boy 
dying  on  field  of  battle  for  his  country  had  reason  to 
bless  Washington  Street  Church,  for  there  he  had 
prepared  himself  to  meet  his  God.  The  ladies  of  the 
church  were  in  charge  of  the  social  activities,  and  a 
report  made  by  the  chairman  •  sets  out  so  simply  its 
work  from  December,  1917,  until  May,  1918,  that  it 
surpasses  any  rhetorical  effort  and  is  here  quoted : 

“On  Sunday  afternoon,  December  22,  1917,  the 
ladies  of  Washington  Street  Church  started  a  social 
hour  for  the  enlisted  men  of  Camp  Lee.  Since  that 
time  seven  thousand  soldiers  have  been  entertained. 
One  hundred  and  seventy-five  women  and  young 
women  of  the  church  and  twenty-seven  men  have  as¬ 
sisted  in  the  work,  which  has  been  of  real  joy,  con¬ 
sidering  the  hearty  co-operation  received  and  the 
expressions  of  gratitude  from  the  men  of  the  Eightieth 
Division,  not  only  as  they  were  going  away,  but  each 
Sabbath  during  the  time.  We  will  always  remember 
that  gratitude  with  great  pleasure,  believing  that  last¬ 
ing  good  will  result,  and  knowing  that  many  have 
found  Christ  through  the  preaching  of  our  beloved 
pastor,  Dr.  J.  B.  Winn. 

“Mrs.  W.  W.  Warren,  Chairman.” 

After  the  boys  had  gone  “Over  there,”  in  one  mail 
there  were  sent  by  the  pastor  one  thousand  letters, 
each  letter  containing  a  bulletin  of  Washington  Street 
Church,  to  soldiers  of  the  Eightieth  Division,  then  in 
France.  It  so  happened  that  these  letters  were  de¬ 
livered  to  the  men  when  they  were  in  the  front  line 
trenches  for  the  first  time.  The  letters  received  in 
:eply  from  these  “boys”  form  a  volume  of  such  human 


98 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


interest  that  they  should  be  bound  and  preserved 
among  the  valuable  archives  of  Washington  Street 
Church. 

These  things  were,  of  course,  only  a  part  of  the 
work.  The  records  of  the  church  show  a  great  deal 
more,  but  history  that  is  so  recent  in  the  hearts  of 
the  people  of  the  church  cannot  be  written,  as  it  should 
and  will  be,  when  a  future  generation  will  clamor  for 
the  facts  that  are  now  known  to  all. 

In  the  opinion  of  all  this  was  the  greatest  oppor¬ 
tunity  Washington  Street  Church  ever  had,  and  it  met 
the  opportunity  and  did  its  greatest  work.  Mention 
has  been  made  of  large  accessions  to  the  church  in  the 
years  1823  and  1835.  Perhaps  the  next  largest  num¬ 
ber  received  into  the  church  at  any  one  time  was  on 
Easter  Sunday  in  1920,  when  after  a  series  of  services 
lasting  two  weeks,  under  the  ministrations  of  the  pas¬ 
tor  and  his  brother,  Rev.  J.  Arthur  Winn,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  united  with  the  church.  In  this  num¬ 
ber  were  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  community. 

WOMEN  OF  THE  CHURCH 

There  may  be  noted  in  these  pages  a  lack  of  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  women  of  the  church.  This  is  due  to  lack 
of  recorded  attention  to  their  doings  and  not  to  de¬ 
liberate  intention  to  ignore  them.  The  women  have 
been  the  church  up-keepers  from  the  days  of  Martha 
and  Mary.  If  nothing  else  showed  the  innate  mod¬ 
esty  and  faithfulness  of  woman,  the  fact  that  she  does 
all  the  drudgery  of  the  church  work,  and  asks  for  no 
representation,  would  be  a  sure  indication  of  it.  “Tax¬ 
ation  without  representation”  was  the  slogan  that 
created  the  greatest  republic  on  earth.  The  women 
in  every  church  might  raise  a  similar  cry,  even  though 
they  should  not  obtain  as  great  results.  The  Board 
met  at  “Sister  King’s”  house,  but  did  she  have  a  voice 
in  their  deliberations?  The  record  doesn’t  say  she 
did,  but  every  man  of  that  day  and  this  would  be 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  99 


willing  to  admit  that  her  influence  (as  the  influence  of 
the  “Sisters”  of  today)  was  most  powerful.  The  his¬ 
torian  cannot  give  specific  instances  of  management 
in  church  affairs  by  the  women,  but  that  influence 
was  there,  and  it  was  mighty  and  it  prevailed.  Maybe 
the  unseen — but  felt — influence  of  women  will  prove 
to  be  greater  than  their  active  efforts. 

Among  the  women  of  prominence  in  the  first  church 
may  be  listed  those  who  appear  in  the  roll  of  members 
hereinbefore  referred  to. 

The  Union  Street  Church  had  on  its  first  roster  the 
names  of  Mary  Roper,  Nancy  Clark,  Mary  Lee,  Ann 
Bishop,  Ann  Gholson,  Eliza  Goodwyn,  Ann  Harrison, 
“Sister”  Mary  Harding  and  Rebecca  Harding,  Martha 
Jeffries,  Eliza  King  and  Susan  Whiting.  Many  of  the 
family  names  are  familiar  to  the  ears  of  the  people 
of  Petersburg. 

In  the  early  days  of  Washington  Street  Church  per¬ 
haps  the  only  definite  activity  of  the  women  of  the 
church  was  conducted  through  an  organization  known 
as  the  “Dorcas  Society.” 

It  is  not  possible  to  give  an  accurate  and  complete 
list  of  the  officers  and  members.  The  hallowed  mem¬ 
ory  of  many  who  have  “entered  into  rest”  lingers  in 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  daughters,  who  are  still  “car¬ 
rying  on”  their  good  work. 

Among  the  pioneer  workers  we  find  the  names  of 
Lucy  Frances  Branch,  Elizabeth  Scrosby  Paul,  Chris¬ 
tine  Brown,  Louisa  Alfriend,  Catherine  Brunet,  Ann 
E.  Blanks,  Eliza  Pollard,  Aurelia  Pollard,  Mary  Ann 
Johnson,  and  many  others.  Mrs.  George  B.  Jones  was, 
for  many  years,  president  of  this  society. 

Many  of  “God’s  little  ones”  were  not  well  provided 
for,  especially  in  the  poorer  families  represented  in 
the  Sunday  School.  These  ladies  would  visit  in  such 
homes,  and  by  tactful  questioning  would  learn  what 
was  needed  in  each  family.  They  knew  just  how 


100 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


many  pairs  of,  shoes,  and  the  sizes  that  would  be  re¬ 
quired  ;  how  many  yards  of  cotton  would  furnish  suf¬ 
ficient  underclothing;  the  exact  number  of  yards  of 
calico,  gingham  or  worsted  that  would  be  needed  to 
make  suitable  dresses  for  school  and  Sunday  School. 
After  making  this  investigation,  a  purchasing  com¬ 
mittee  would  be  appointed,  the  material  bought,  and 
all  the  ladies  called  together.  Cotton,  by  the  bolt,  was 
cut  into  “long  division.”  Dresses  were  actually  meas¬ 
ured,  cut  out,  and  tied  up  ready  for  distribution.  In 
some  cases,  the  mother  in  the  home,  when  necessary 
material  was  given  to  her,  could  make  these  clothes. 
When  this  was  not  practical,  there  were  ready  hands 
to  fashion  every  garment,  willing  feet  would  bear  the 
bundles,  and  kind  hearts  would  scatter  sunshine  into 
the  many  cheerless  homes.  Twice  a  year,  in  spring 
and  fall,  the  list  for  shoes  would  be  spread  before  the 
society.  After  much  prayer,  the  committee  would  go 
forth,  and  the  story  comes  down  to  us  of  many  “re¬ 
ductions”  given  by  generous  shoe  dealers.  After  each 
such  endeavor  the  society  was  called  together  again, 
and  the  doxology  sung  when  cash  and  credit  accounts 
seemed  likely  to  balance. 

The  spirit  of  sympathy  between  benefactors  and 
beneficiaries  was  made  manifest  in  the  devotion  of 
scholars  to  teachers.  Especially  was  this  true  in  the 
case  of  Miss  Margaret  Goodwin’s  class.  “Miss  Mag,” 
as  she  was  tenderly  called,  lived  to  be  ninety-one  years 
of  age,  and  “e’en  down  to  old  age”  possessed  the  same 
beautiful  spirit  that  endeared  her  to  all  with  whom  she 
came  in  contact. 

Others  who  were  deeply  interested  in  this  work 
were:  Mrs.  John  W.  Bradbury,  Miss  Mary  Jane  Wells, 
Mrs.  John  H.  Atkinson,  Miss  Sallie  Grigg,  Mrs.  Alex. 
Harrison,  Mrs.  William  Long,  Miss  Mag  Mahood,  Miss 
Jennie  Drinkard,  Miss  Mollie  Bell. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  101 

During  the  War  Between  the  States  the  church  was 
the  center  of  all  activities  for  relief  work  among  the 
suffering  soldiers.  Sewing  machines  were  not  very 
numerous  in  those  days,  but  Miss  Emma  Branch, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas  Branch,  possessed  a  most 
beautiful  one.  This  was  carried  to  church,  and  the 
ladies,  not  only  of  Washington  Street  Church,  but  of 
other  denominations  as  well,  would  meet,  gather  around 
that  treasured  machine,  and  make  garments  for  the 
soldiers,  and  prepare  needed  supplies  for  the  field  hos¬ 
pitals.  Mrs.  Sam  Drummond  was  a  most  active  leader 
of  this  band  of  women  workers. 

The  women  throughout  the  Southern  Methodism  had 
never  been  given  a  specific  work,  all  their  own. 

True  it  was  they  were  expected  to  “speak  out”  in 
the  old-time  “class  meeting”  and  “love  feast,”  and  they 
were  doing  whatsoever  their  hands  found  to  do  in  deeds 
of  love  and  charity  for  those  immediate  by  around 
them,  but  they  wanted  authority  to  do  an  organized 
connectional  work. 

A  timid  memorial  was  sent  to  the  General  Confer¬ 
ence  of  1874,  asking  for  recognition  and  for  authority 
to  start  a  woman’s  department  of  missions.  But  it 
was  lost.  This  memorial  was  presented  again  to  the 
General  Conference,  May  14,  1878,  in  Atlanta,  Ga., 
with  a  petition  that  the  women  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
South,  be  authorized  to  work  for  missions,  under  a 
charter.  This  was  granted,  and  immediately  the 
Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  was  organized. 

Any  great  movement  has  its  origin  in  the  faith  and 
vision  of  one  personality. 

The  beginnings  of  the  work  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  cluster  around  the  name  of  Juli¬ 
anna  Hayes,  its  first  president.  During  the  same  year, 
1878,  Mrs.  Hayes  visited  Petersburg,  and,  in  Washing¬ 
ton  Street  Church,  organized  the  Woman’s  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Virginia  Conference. 


102 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Mrs.  Charles  Hall  was  elected  president,  but  resigned 
and  was  elected  corresponding  secretary,  holding  this 
office  eleven  years.  She  was  then  made  vice-president, 
which  office  she  was  filling  when  she  died. 

As  Virginia  was  among  the  first  to  have  a  Confer¬ 
ence  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  so  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  Church  was  the  first  to  have  a  Woman’s 
Foreign  Missionary  Society. 

Mrs.  William  S.  Harrison,  lovingly  known  as  “good 
Mrs.  Harrison,”  was  made  the  first  president.  After 
a  short  term  of  office  ,  she  was  succeeded  by  Mrs. 
Charles  Hall,  who  served  for  twenty-one  years,  and 
watched  with  triumphant  faith  the  growth  of  this 
work  so  dear  to  her  heart.  Under  the  inspiration  of 
her  life  and  works,  the  women  for  many  years  have 
supported  a  Bible  woman  in  China,  who  bears  the 
name  of  “Annie  Hall.”  Mrs.  Louis  L.  Marks  was, 
for  a  long  time,  president  of  this  society.  Some  writer 
has  said  that  the  only  memorials  worth  while  are  living 
memorials.  So  deep  and  far  reaching  was  her  interest 
in  those  who  knew  not  her  Lord,  that,  after  she  had 
passed  out  of  life  on  earth,  it  was  found  an  offering 
had  been  set  aside,  by  her,  for  some  special  work  in  a 
non-Christian  land.  A  room  in  the  hospital  at  Shang¬ 
hai,  China,  has  been  endowed  to  be  known  as  the 
“Bettie  Marks  Room.”  In  this  room  the  suffering 
woman  among  China’s  poor  will  be  given  medical  at¬ 
tention,  and  at  the  same  time  will  be  told  of  the  won¬ 
derful  love  of  the  Great  Physician,  who  alone  can  cure 
the  sin-sick  soul.  Yet  another  name  on  the  roster  of 
this  society  awakens  a  recollection  of  loving  deeds  and 
sacrificial  giving — Mrs.  C.  D.  Tinsley.  It  was  oftenest 
in  the  homes  of  the  poor  and  distressed,  or  kneeling  by 
the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  dying,  she  would  pass  on 
to  others  the  gospel  message,  so  exemplified  in  her  life. 
At  the  time  of  her  “going  away,”  an  offering  left  by 
her  was,  at  her  request,  divided  equally  between  the 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  103 

Foreign  work  and  the  Home  work.  A  young  life  in 
Brazil  was  to  be  trained  for  service  for  the  Master, 
and  a  scholarship  in  Ferrum  Training  School  was  to 
be  given  to  some  mountain  girl  in  Virginia. 

Among  those  active  in  this  society  we  find  the  names 
of  Mrs.  Thad  Woody,  Mrs.  James  Mullen,  Mrs.  Frank 
Hobbs,  Sr.,  Mrs.  Caspar  Wright,  Mrs.  James  Pritchett, 
Mrs.  Christopher  James,  Mrs.  Sam  Booth,  Mrs.  Nettie 
Kidd,  Miss  Virginia  Major,  Mrs.  Emma  Lanier,  Mrs. 
Emma  Baugh,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Jones,  and  Mrs.  Annie  B. 
Peebles. 

It  was  clearly  evident  that  Mrs.  Hall  was  set  apart 
to  lead  the  women  of  her  church.  In  1880  she  or¬ 
ganized  a  Young  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  So¬ 
ciety,  becoming  its  first  president.  Of  few  who  have 
lived  and  wrought  in  this  beloved  church  can  it  be 
equally  said  that  they  wrought  their  deeds  into  living 
memorials  as  she  did. 

This  little  band  of,  16  young  girls,  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Young  being  the  first  treasurer,  raised  during  the  first 
year  the  sum  of  $40.00.  Last  year  the  society  num¬ 
bered  71,  and  gave,  in  voluntary  offerings,  $1,378.20 
for  the  spread  of  missions.  The  girls  of  the  original 
society  are  the  women  of  the  church  today.  Their 
success  is  but  the  achievement  of  the  work  which  her 
vision  mapped  out,  and  her  zeal  and  prayers  made 
possible. 

A  short  while  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Hall  there 
arose  another  leader  of  large  vision,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Starr. 
She,  by  her  consecration,  inspired  the  young  people  to 
still  greater  achievements,  and  more  abundant  service. 
One  incident  in  the  work  of  this  society  seems  well 
worth  repeating.  Because  of  the  “Mother-Love”  in 
her  heart,  Mrs.  Starr  suggested  that  a  gift  be  sent  to 
the  little  scholarship  girl  in  China,  named  Annie  Hall. 
A  beautiful  bisque  doll  was  bought,  carefully  dressed 
as  a  dainty  little  American  girl,  and  sent  on  its  mission 


104 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


to  China.  This  was  the  first  American  doll  that  had 
ever  been  seen  in  that  section  of  China.  She  created 
quite  a  stir  and  her  fame  soon  became  widespread. 
Many  came  from  miles  around  to  the  school  in  Hu- 
chow,  just  to  see  the  little  “maid,”  and  begged  for  the 
privilege  of  handling  her.  Finally  the  news  of  her 
advent  in  China  reached  the  royal  palace,  and  the  Em¬ 
press  wrote  a  letter  to  one  of  our  missionaries,  asking 
that  the  little  American  doll  be  allowed  to  come  to  the 
palace  that  all  the  ladies  of  the  royal  home  might  see 
her.  The  little  “lady”  was  sent,  was  accorded  a  royal 
welcome,  and  greatly  admired.  Miss  Jennie  Kay 
dressed  the  little  doll. 

The  “Little  Pansies,”  a  missionary  society  for  the 
children,  was  organized  by  Miss  Kittie  Bradbury,  now 
Mrs.  A.  M.  Hughlett.  Annie  Lou  Blanks,  now  Mrs. 
Milford  Woody,  was  the  first  name  to  be  enrolled. 
These  children  met  in  “Miss  Kittie’s”  home.  She  told 
them  stories  of  the  little  children  of  non-Christian 
lands  who  knew  not  the  Christ-child,  whom  they  knew 
and  loved. 

Afterward  Mrs.  A.  B.  Prentiss,  that  “Mother  in 
Israel,”  who  was  “Miss  Addie”  to  the  children  of 
Washington  Street  Church  for  more  than  a  half  cen¬ 
tury,  became  leader  of  this  society.  For  many  years 
their  interest  centered  around  a  little  Chinese  girl  in 
Clopton  School  named  “Pansy,”  the  children  contrib¬ 
uting  to  her  support  year  by  year.  In  answer  to  their 
earnest  little  prayers,  “Pansy”  became  a  Christian, 
married  and  established  a  Christian  home  in  China. 
She  kept  in  touch  with  her  much  loved  American 
friends,  sending  them  many  tokens  of  appreciation. 
Other  scholarships  were  supported — one  was  named 
Kittie  Bradbury,  another  Addie  Prentiss.  The  last 
still  continues  to  be  passed  on  from  one  child  to  an¬ 
other — the  most  fitting  tribute  to  one  whose  heart  was 
devoted  to  the  children  of  her  own  and  foreign  lands. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  105 

and  whose  life  was  given  in  service  for  the  training 
of  the  young  life  of  the  church. 

“Miss  Addie’s”  long  and  useful  life  of  service  will 
abide.  Her  “children”  repeat  today  in  their  lives  the 
sweet  influences  of  her  own  life.  “This  is  the  immor¬ 
tality  of  the  choir  invisible  whose  music  is  the  gladness 
of  the  world.” 

The  words  of  a  little  poem  express  most  beautifully 
her  life  among  the  children : 

MY  CROWN. 

The  only  crown  I  ask,  dear  Lord,  to  w7ear 

Is  this — that  I  may  help  a  little  child. 

I  do  not  ask  that  I  shall  ever  stand 

Among  the  wise,  the  worthy,  or  the  great; 

I  only  ask  that  safely,  hand  in  hand, 

A  child  and  I  may  enter  at  thy  gate. 

— Selected. 

Miss  Addie  has  passed,  but  little  children  will  grow 
old  remembering  her  and  loving  her,  and  there  are 
gray-haired  men,  it  may  be,  who  are  kinder  and  gentler 
because  they  knew  her. 

On  the  tablet  erected  to  her  memory  in  the  Sunday 
School:  “Mrs.  Addie  Moore  Prentiss  died  January  20, 
1912,  aged  seventy-five  years.  Superintendent  of  the 
Primary  Department  of  the  Sunday  School  for  forty- 
eight  years.  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart  for  they 
shall  see  God.” 

In  1885  Bishop  Hargrove,  through  the  Board  of 
Church  Extension,  reported  that  several  stations  had 
been  abandoned  because  there  was  no  house  for  the 
preacher  and  his  family. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1886  the  Woman’s 
Department  of  the  Church  Extension  was  authorized 
to  raise  funds  for  purchasing  and  securing  parson¬ 
ages.  But  this  work  broadened  its  scope,  for  it  soon 
included  the  many  phases  of  Home  Mission  work — 
the  needs  in  the  city  slums,  the  mountain  districts, 


106 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


work  among  the  negroes  and  the  immigrants.  In 
1890  the  General  Conference  granted  a  change  of  char¬ 
ter  and  thus  was  forrmed  the  Parsonage  and  Home 
Mission  Society.  Washington  Street  Church  was 
among  the  first  to  have  this  organization.  Mrs.  James 
Prentiss  was  perhaps  the  first  president.  For  many 
years  Mrs.  George  Morrison  led  these  women  in  this 
special  work,  and  those  who  attended  the  monthly 
meetings  enjoyed  the  rare  privilege  of  her  well  pre¬ 
pared  devotional  service. 

Among  those  especially  interested  in  this  society 
were  Mrs.  James  B.  Blanks,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Boyd,  Mrs. 
V.  V.  Atkinson,  Mrs.  Bettie  Aiken,  Mrs.  Julia  Bordley, 
Mrs.  Rosensteel,  Mrs.  C.  E.  Borst,  Miss  Emma  Rid¬ 
dick,  Mrs.  Jennie  Taylor,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Scott,  Mrs.  Willie 
Hite,  Mrs.  T.  J.  Burgess. 

There  come,  from  time  to  time,  changes  in  the  pas¬ 
torate  of  the  church.  It  has  always  been  the  duty  of 
the  women  of  the  church  to  “speed  the  parting”  pas¬ 
tor,  and  “welcome  the  coming”  one.  The  home  for  him 
who  shepherds  the  flock  must  be  “set  in  order.”  In 
“ministering  to  the  necessity  of  the  saints,”  the  pantry 
must  be  supplied.  These  duties  became  pleasures  when 
attended  to  by  Mrs.  George  Scott  and  Mrs.  Stith,  Mrs. 
T.  J.  Jefferson,  Mrs.  Alta  Drewry,  Mrs.  Laura  Wilson, 
Mrs.  R.  B.  Davis,  Mrs.  Susan  Birdsong,  Mrs.  Frank 
Strailman,  Mrs.  F.  0.  Strailman,  Mrs.  W.  Y.  Burge, 
Mrs.  John  W.  Hays,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Craddock. 

In  1919  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
and  the  Woman’s  Home  Mission  Society  united,  form¬ 
ing  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Society.  Since  that  time 
the  work  has  been  departmental  as  to  organization. 
The  women  have  been  interested  not  only  in  China,  but 
many  years  ago  an  interest  was  awakened  also  in 
Brazil,  an  appeal  having  come  for  a  cholarship  in 
Porto  Alegre.  The  response  was  immediate  and  the 
holder  was  D.  Amalia  Delacoste,  whose  life  became  a 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  107 

power,  and  was  an  inspiration  to  the  entire  student 
body  in  the  Mission  School.  Her  American  name  was 
Ruth  Warren  Chieves.  Ruth — for  Miss  Ruth  Blanks, 
who  for  many  years  was  president  of  this  society. 
Warren — for  Mrs.  W.  W.  Warren,  who  is  now  serving 
her  thirty-fifth  year  as  treasurer  of  this  society. 
Chieves — for  Mrs.  Shelton  Chieves,  then  District  Sec¬ 
retary  of  the  Petersburg  District  and  whose  missionary 
zeal  and  untiring  devotion  to  the  work  has  been  an 
inspiration  to  the  women  of  the  church.  A  call  for 
definite  service  came  and  found  response  in  the  heart 
of  one  of  the  splendid  women  of  this  church.  Miss 
Ethel  L.  Brown  entered  the  Methodist  Training  School 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  in  1913,  and  after  two  years  of 
religious  training  and  preparation,  offered  her  life  for 
service  to  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Council.  She  was 
accepted,  consecrated  for  service,  and  in  July,  1915, 
went  out  to  Brazil.  Her  life  while  there  was  one  of 
loving  sacrifice  and  devotion.  Being  frail  in  body,  she 
could  not  stand  the  physical  strain  in  that  enervating 
climate,  and  after  four  and  a  half  years  of  sacrificial 
service,  she  returned  to  the  homeland. 

In  January,  1923,  an  effort  was  made  to  reach  every 
woman  in  the  church  and  enlist  her  interest  for  ser¬ 
vice  in  the  Missionary  Society.  A  vow  made  when 
entering  the  church  imposes  the  obligation,  “to  attend 
upon  its  ordinances  and  support  its  institutions.” 

The  Woman’s  Missionary  Society  is  the  only  recog¬ 
nized  woman’s  institution  of  the  church,  and  each 
woman,  upon  entering  the  church,  automatically  be¬ 
comes  a  member  of  the  Missionary  Society.  There 
were  many  who  had  never  been  active  in  any  line  of 
church  work,  just  because  they  did  not  know  what 
could  be  done. 

“The  object  of  the  Woman’s  Missionary  Society  shall 
be  to  hasten  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
throughout  the  world  by  enlisting  the  women,  young 


108 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


people  and  children  in  a  study  of  the  needs  of  the 
world  and  in  active  missionary  service;  by  raising 
funds  for  special  work  of  the  church  and  parsonage; 
the  evangelization  of  mission  fields  at  home  and 
abroad;  the  maintenance  of  the  institutions  under  the 
care  of  the  Women’s  Missionary  Council,  and  for  the 
betterment  of  civic  and  social  conditions.” 

For  greater  efficiency,  twelve  circles  were  formed, 
composed  of  the  entire  female  membership  of  the 
church,  and  by  an  impartial  distribution  of  the  names, 
each  woman,  girl  and  child  was  placed  on  some  circle. 

Circle  No.  I  is  composed  of  the  children  from  the 
cradle  to  fourteen  years  of  age. 

Circle  No.  II  includes  all  the  “teen-age”  girls. 

Circle  No.  Ill  is  composed  of  the  young  women  of 
the  church. 

Circle  No.  IV  consists  of  the  business  women. 

The  remaining  eight  circles  include  all  the  adult 
members  of  the  church  and  many  of  the  congregation. 

This  society  is  directed  by  an  Executive  Board,  com¬ 
posed  of  the  officers  of  the  organization  together  with 
the  leaders  of  all  the  circles.  Any  work,  projected  by 
the  Executive  Board,  is  assigned  to  each  circle  through 
the  Program  Committee. 

Executive  Board:  Officers — President,  Miss  Ruth 
W.  Blanks;  Vice-President,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Bell;  Recording 
Secretary,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Craddock;  Corresponding  Sec¬ 
retary,  Miss  Grace  Alley;  Treasurer,  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Warren;  Assistant  Treasurer,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Boyd. 

Superintendents — Mission  Study,  Miss  Inez  May 
Cox;  Social  Service,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Willcox;  Supplies, 
Mrs.  B.  J.  Andrews;  Program,  Mrs.  I.  B.  Davenport; 
Agent  for  Missionary  Voice,  Miss  Annie  R.  Baugh. 

Leaders  of  Circles — -No.  1,  Mrs.  L.  L.  Kidd;  No.  2, 
Mrs.  J.  C.  Pamplin;  No.  3,  Mrs.  G.  F.  Holt;  No.  4, 
Mrs.  R.  B.  Jordan;  No.  5,  Mrs.  D.  M.  Booth;  No.  6, 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  109 


Mrs.  W.  J.  Purdy;  No.  7,  Mrs.  R.  Milford  Woody; 
No.  8,  Mrs.  H.  M.  White;  No.  9,  Mrs.  W.  I.  Cox;  No. 
10,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Jones;  No.  11,  Mrs.  E.  R.  Bowman; 
No.  12,  Miss  Ruth  W.  Blanks. 

A  large  program  of  social  service  has  been  under¬ 
taken,  certain  phases  of  work  being  done  in  co-opera¬ 
tion  with  the  Associated  Charities.  Many  deeds  of 
love  and  charity  are  reported  by  various  circles  at 
each  monthly  “get-together”  meeting.  In  rotation 
special  church  duties  are  assigned  to  circles — one  being 
to  furnish  flowers  for  church  services.  These  flowers 
are  afterwards  sent  to  bring  a  bit  of  cheer  to  some  sick 
room. 

Three  scholarships  are  being  supported  in  Ferrum 
Training  School  for  mountain  children  in  Virginia. 
Two  scholarships  are  supplied  for  Virginia  School  in 
Huchow,  China. 

Two  Bible  women  are  supported,  one  called  “Annie 
Bradbury,”  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil;  the  other,  “Annie 
Hall,”  in  Huchow,  China.  In  the  homeland  other  of¬ 
ferings  go  toward  the  maintenance  of  schools  for 
mountain  children  and  for  dependent  and  delinquent 
girls.  Also  for  Wesley  Houses  among  the  miners  and 
immigrants,  and  for  Bethlehem  Houses  among  the 
negroes.  In  eight  foreign  fields,  China,  Japan,  Korea, 
Manchuria,  Siberia,  Brazil,  Mexico,  Cuba  and  Africa, 
the  work  is  three-fold  in  nature— -Evangelistic,  Edu¬ 
cational  and  Medical.  There  are  institutional  churches, 
schools  and  hospital. 

The  women  of  Washington  Street  Church,  from  the 
time  of  its  organization,  have  always  been  found  doing 
“what  they  could” — angels  could  do  no  more. 

SUNDAY  SCHOOL  WORK-1846  TO  1923 

In  1843  Washington  Street  had  two  hundred  and 
five  scholars  and  thirty-five  teachers — today  it  has 
521  scholars  and  38  teachers. 


no 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


In  1843  it  reported  three  Sunday  Schools  under  its 
care — Washington  Street,  Plum  Street  and  Ettrick. 
It  has  four  hundred  and  seventy-eight  volumes  in  its 
library.  There  were  seventy-one  teachers  and  three 
hundred  and  ninety-five  scholars. 

A  few  years  later  a  Sunday  School  was  organized  in 
Blandford  and  then  a  Chapel  was  bought  from  the 
Presbyterians.  Wesley  Chapel  had  been  organized 
and  Ettrick  Chapel  built.  All  of  these  began  with  a 
Sunday  School  organization. 

Ten  years  later: 

Washington  Street  had  43  teachers  and  253  scholars. 

Wesley  had  12  teachers  and  80  scholars. 

Blandford  had  8  teachers  and  45  scholars. 

High  Street  and  Plum  Street  and  Ettrick  were  now 
on  their  feet  and  conducting  their  own  affairs.  This 
entry  is  significant:  December  29th,  1862.  “Report 
that  Sunday  Schools  not  in  flourishing  conditions, 
doubtless  in  consequence  of  so  many  teachers  being 
about  to  contend  with  the  common  foe.” 

In  1866  Major  W.  A.  Shepard,  superintendent,  re¬ 
ported  two  hundred  on  rolls.  This  was  Washington 
Street  alone.  Two  years  later  Washington  Street  had 
thirty-five  teachers  and  three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
scholars.  Major  Shepard  resigned  and  Captain  L.  L. 
Marks  was  elected  in  his  place. 

Captain  Marks  served  the  School  as  superintendent 
for  thirty  years  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
efficient  Sunday  School  men  in  the  Virginia  Confer¬ 
ence.  A  tablet  to  his  memory  adorns  the  wall  of  the 
lecture  room.  There  are  two  other  tablets  in  this 
room,  one  as  a  memorial  to  Mrs.  Addie  B.  Prentis, 
who  was  for  forty-eight  years  Superintendent  of  the 
Primary  Department ;  and  the  other  to  the  memory  of 
Edwin  Barksdale,  who  was  killed  in  the  Argonne 
Forest  during  the  World  War. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  111 

Captain  Marks  declining  to  serve  longer  as  Super¬ 
intendent,  reorganized  the  “Old  Ship  of  Zion”  Class 
and  in  a  few  months  had  gathered  together  a  large 
number  of  men  that  were  not  members  of  any  school. 
He  taught  this  class  for  ten  years  until  called  from 
his  earthly  labors  in  January,  1910.  Williams  T.  Davis 
was  elected  Superintendent  of  School  January  1,  1910, 
and  served  for  one  year.  He  was  succeeded  by  John 
R.  Turner,  who  served  for  two  years.  James  B.  Blanks 
was  elected  Superintendent  March  18,  1903,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Walter  A.  Williamson,  who  was  elected 
November  1,  1905,  and  is  now  serving  his  eighteenth 
year  as  Superintendent. 

In  1906  the  school  room  was  enlarged  by  removing 
the  north  wall  and  forming  two  large  class  rooms.  The 
School  continued  along  its  progressive  lines  for  a 
number  of  years  and  finally  the  church  recognized  its 
great  religious  educational  task  must  be  carried  out 
through  the  Sunday  School.  Therefore,  it  became  nec¬ 
essary  to  again  enlarge  and  to  provide  suitable  quarters 
and  equipment  for  the  great  and  vital  service  the  School 
has  been  called  upon  to  render.  This  vision  of  an  ideal 
School  for  Religious  Education  has  been  realized,  and 
today  we  have  a  modernly  equipped  departmentized 
School,  housed  in  three  separate  buildings.  The  west 
wing  is  for  elementary  work,  the  first  floor  being 
used  for  the  Cradle  Roll,  Beginner  and  Primary  De¬ 
partment,  each  separated  by  solid  walls.  The  entire 
second  floor  is  used  by  the  Junior  Department.  The 
east  wing,  second  floor  is  used  by  the  Intermediate- 
Senior  Department  and  the  first  floor  is  used  by  the 
Young  People’s  Department.  On  this  floor  there  is 
also  a  Ladies’  Parlor,  Stewards’  Room,  Boy  Scouts 
and  Club  Room.  The  main  School  Room  is  used  by 
the  Adult  Department.  The  kitchen  occupies  a  con¬ 
venient  space  between  the  east  wing  and  the  main 


112 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


building  to  the  rear.  The  Superintendent’s  office  oc¬ 
cupies  a  like  space  on  the  opposite  side  between  the 
west  wing  and  the  main  building  to  the  rear. 

There  is  no  church  in  Southern  Methodism  at  the 
present  time  better  equipped  for  Sunday  School  work. 
The  structural  plan  cannot  be  improved  upon.  The 
Sunday  School  of  today  is  far  different,  in  its  methods, 
from  those  of  earlier  times,  but  more  and  more  it  is 
being  recognized  that  the  church  of  the  future  must 
build  up  from  its  Sunday  School.  Washington  Street 
Church  can  look  forward  to  greater  years  of  useful¬ 
ness  with  the  splendid  equipment  of  its  present  school 
taking  care  of  the  church  in  looking  after  its  children. 


WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH— 1890 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Pastors 

IN  giving  this  list  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
Washington  Street  Church  is  the  outgrowth  of 
a  little  meeting  that  was  held  in  the  year  1773 
by  a  few  people  under  the  teaching  of  one  of  the 
first  Methodist  preachers  in  Virginia.  The  minutes 
of  the  First  Conference  held  in  1773  recite  that  a 
preacher  was  stationed  at  “Petersburg!!”.  The  next 
year  (1774)  at  the  Second  Conference,  “Petersburg” 
was  changed  and  called  “Brunswick  Circuit”.  From 
then  until  1793,  the  preachers  were  cited  to  “Bruns¬ 
wick,”  except  in  1780,  it  was  called  “Sussex.” 
In  1793  and  1794  a  preacher  was  stationed 
at  “Petersburg”,  but  in  1795  and  until  1804  they 
were  again  referred  to  “Brunswick”.  From  1804 
until  1814  the  station  name  “Petersburg”  persisted, 
and  in  1814  it  was  called  “Petersburg  and  Amelia”. 
Beginning  in  1815  and  extending  to  1845  the  station 
was  referred  to  as  “Petersburg”,  and  in  1845  the 
first  mention  of  “Washington  Street”  was  made. 
From  1845  until  the  present  time  the  pastors  were 
assigned  to  “Washington  Street”  except  that  in  1848 
the  charge  was  referred  to  as  “Washington  Street 
and  Union  Street”,  and  in  1850  as  “Washington 
Street  and  Wesley  Chapel”. 

This  enumeration,  therefore,  will  include  all  those 
pastors  from  1773,  as  Washington  Street  Church  was 


116 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


the  direct  result  of  the  first  organization  in  that  year. 
It  may  be  interesting  at  this  time  to  note  that  “High 
Street  Church”  was  the  next  Methodist  Church  es¬ 
tablished,  and  was  composed  of  Methodists  in  that 
western  section  of  the  town  and  “some  very  prominent 
and  influential  members  of  Washington  Street  Church, 
v  ho  doubtless  identified  themselves  with  this  organ¬ 
ization  in  order  that  they  might  not  only  aid  in  the 
establishment  and  promotion  but  might  also  assist  in 
extending  the  scope  of  Methodist  influence  and 
power  in  Petersburg”,  says  one  writer.  This  was 
in  1844. 

Wesley  Church  was  begun  by  a  committee  from 
Washington  Street  who  purchased  a  little  chapel  on 
Halifax  Street  from  the  Presbyterians  in  1850. 

Market  Street  Church  was  founded  by  Rev.  John 
E.  Edwards,  with  the  assistance  of  members  of 
Washington  Street  Church,  and  in  1858  93  mem¬ 
bers  were  transferred  from  Washington  Street  and 
40  from  WTesley  Chapel  and  that  church  was  organ¬ 
ized.  Market  Street  has  just  this  year  erected  a 
new  building  on  Sycamore  Street  and  given  it  the 
name  of  “Trinity”. 

Blandford  Church  was  organized  in  1845. 

Memorial  Church,  formerly  West  Street,  was  organ¬ 
ized  about  1854. 

In  the  establishment  of  both  of  these  flourishing 
churches,  the  members  of  Washington  Street  were 
active  and  enthusiastic  in  their  assistance.  It  is  eas¬ 
ily  seen  how  old  Washington  Street  is  the  “Mother- 
Church”  and  why  her  “daughters”  love  her  for  her 
unselfish  devotion  to  the  interests  of  Methodism.  It 
would  be  a  most  unusual  and  irreligious  attitude,  if 
it  were  otherwise. 

This  list  may  not  be  absolutely  correct.  It  has 
been  made  up  from  several  lists  from  several  sources. 
It  is  about  as  near  correct,  however,  as  can  be  ob¬ 
tained,  it  is  believed. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  117 

It  was  thought  that  a  brief  sketch  of  the  personal 
characteristics  of  the  Pastors  would  be  interesting  as 
indicating  the  type  of  men  who  served  the  pulpit  of 
Washington  Street  Church  and  its  predecessors. 
These  sketches  have  also  been  compiled  from  many 
sources,  and  it  was  not  thought  necessary  to  give  the 
authors  of  the  descriptions,  as  it  would  have  inter¬ 
fered  with  the  purpose  in  mind,  viz:  to  give  just  a 
brief  reference  to  the  appearance  and  character  of 
each  individual. 

Petersburg  can  find  no  fault  with  the  ministers  who 
have  officiated  here.  Many,  if  not  most  of  them,  were 
the  leading  preachers  of  their  time.  If  the  reader 
desires  further  acquaintance  with  the  subjects  of  these 
sketches,  he  can  very  readily  gain  the  information. 
Nor  is  there  any  claim  to  originality  by  this  author  in 
these  sketches.  In  fact,  a  part  of  almost  every  sketch 
is  an  extract  from  some  existing  work.  The  years  of 
their  service  in  Petersburg  are  set  opposite  their 
names. 

As  to  the  Stewards,  the  list  is  very  probably  in¬ 
complete.  The  author  has  tried  to  have  sketches  writ¬ 
ten  by  descendants  where  he  could  get  this  done.  In 
some  cases,  it  was  not  practicable  to  delay  the  work 
in  making  an  extended  search.  No  one  should  feel 
hurt  at  any  omissions  of  the  church  work  of  any  be¬ 
loved  relative.  Such  information  as  could  be  more  or 
less  quickly  obtained  has  been  set  down — much  has 
been  left  out  for  lack  of  space  as  well  as  from  lack  of 
time  necessary  to  make  an  extended  research.  In 
every  case  the  attempt  has  been  made  to  show  the 
influence  of  the  Steward  in  the  community  as  well  as 
in  the  church. 

Bishop  McTyeire  says  it  was  the  custom  of  John 
Wesley  to  publish  short  accounts  of  his  preachers.  It 
should  be  of  interest  to  members  of  this  church  to 
know  what  kind  of  men  their  preachers  were  and  what 


118 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


influences  their  officers  exerted  in  the  church  and  com¬ 
munity.  It  will  be  seen  that  Washington  Street  Church 
has  always  had  “the  best  of  both.” 


LIST  OF  PREACHERS  AT  PETERSBURG,  1773- 
.  1923,  AND  YEARS  IN  WHICH  APPOINTED 

Petersburg 

1773 —  Robert  Williams. 

Brunswick 

1774 —  John  Wade,  Isaac  Rollins,  Samuel  Spragg. 
(Lee,  p.  51,  also  gives  John  King.) 

1775 —  George  Shadford,  Robert  Lindsay,  Edward 
Dromgoole,  Robert  Williams,  William  Glendenning. 

1776 —  George  Shadford,  William  Duke,  William 
Glendenning. 

1777 —  William  Watters,  Freeborn  Garrettson,  John 
Tunnell. 

1778 —  John  Dickens,  Edward  Pride. 

1779 —  Thomas  Morris,  Richard  Ivy,  James  Morris. 

Sussex 

1780 —  Lee  Roy  Cole,  Edward  Pride,  Samuel  Watson.. 

Brunswick 

1781 —  Caleb  Boyer. 

1782 —  Richard  Garrettson,  Joseph  Cromwell,  Jere¬ 
miah  Lambert,  Peter  Moriarity. 

1783 —  James  O'Kelley,  Joseph  Cromwell. 

1784 —  William  Glendenning,  John  Robertson. 

1785 —  Edward  Drumgole,  James  Haw. 

1786 —  Philip  Cox,  James  Gibbons,  Henry  Merritt- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  119 


1787 —  John  Easter,  Henry  Jones. 

1788 —  John  Paup,  Benjamin  Ogden. 

1789 —  Jeremiah  Minter,  Myles  Green. 

1790 —  John  Easter,  Thomas  Easter. 

1791 —  John  Paup,  Archer  Davis. 

1792 —  John  Baldwin,  Benjamin  Barnes. 

Petersburg 

1793 —  John  Lindsay. 

1794 —  John  Lindsay. 

Brunswick 

1795—  -John  N.  Jones,  William  Kavanaugh. 

1796 —  Bennet  Maxey,  H.  M.  Gaines,  I.  Ellis. 

1797 —  One-half  year,  James  Meacham,  J.  Tucker. 
One-half  year,  Enoch  George,  Philip  Sands. 

1798 —  Philip  Sands,  Stith  Mead,  John  Evans. 

1799 —  Pembroke  Smith,  John  Moore. 

1800—  Joseph  Hill,  John  Cox. 

1801—  William  Ormond,  David  M.  Hume. 

1802—  Nathaniel  Walker,  Bank  M.  Burrough. 

1803—  — John  Buxton,  William  Wright. 

Petersburg 

1804—  Jesse  Lee. 

1805—  John  Potts. 

1806—  John  Potts. 

1807—  William  Hubbard. 

1808—  Erasmus  Hill. 

1809—  Pleasant  Thurman. 

1810—  Benjamin  Devaney. 

1811—  Thomas  Anderson  (Stewards  Church  Record 
also  gives  Jesse  Lee) . 


120 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


1812 —  John  Anderson  (Stewards  Church  Record 
also  gives  John  Potts). 

1813 —  Thomas  Cooper  (Stewards  Church  Record 
also  gives  C.  H.  Hines). 

Petersburg  and  Amelia 

1814 —  Minton  Thrift,  Caleb  N.  Bell,  Henry  Rob¬ 
inson. 


Petersburg 

1815 —  Thomas  Moore. 

1816 —  Matthew  M.  Dance. 

1817 —  William  Compton. 

1818 —  Fletcher  Harris. 

1819 —  James  M’Aden. 

1820 —  Henry  Hardy. 

1821 —  George  M.  Anderson. 

1822 —  Hezekiah  G.  Leigh. 

1823 —  Hezekiah  G.  Leigh. 

1824 —  G.  W.  Charlton. 

1825 —  George  W.  Charlton. 

1826 —  William  Harnett. 

1827 —  William  A.  Smith. 

1828 —  William  J.  Waller. 

1829 —  William  A.  Smith. 

1830 —  Bennett  T.  Blake  and  Rev.  Minton  Thrift. 

1831 —  David  S.  Doggett. 

1832 —  David  Wood. 

1833 —  Henry  B.  Cowles. 

1834 —  Abraham  Penn. 

1835 —  D.  S.  Doggett. 

1836 —  H.  B.  Cowles. 

1837 —  Thomas  Crowder,  Jr. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  121 

1838 —  Thomas  Crowder,  Jr.,  George  Mahood  (Sup.) 

1839 —  A.  Dibrell,  G.  Mahood  (Sup.). 

1840 —  Anthony  Dibrell,  Jas.  D.  Coulling. 

1841—  William  A.  Smith,  B.  H.  Johnson. 

1842 —  William  A.  Smith,  Joseph  Carson. 

1843 —  Edward  Wadsworth,  Joseph  Carson. 

1844 —  Edward  Wadsworth. 

Washington  Street 

1845 —  Henry  B.  Cowles. 

1846 —  George  W.  Langhorne  (Stewards  Church 
Record  gives  H.  B.  Cowles). 

1847 —  George  W.  Langhorne. 

Washington  Street  and  Union  Street 

1848 —  David  S.  Doggett,  G.  A.  Bain  (Sup.),  (Stew¬ 
ards  Church  Record  gives  G.  W.  Langhorne). 

Washington  Street 

1849 —  D.  S.  Doggett. 

Washington  Street  and  Wesley  Chapel 

1850 —  Nelson  Head. 

1851 —  Nelson  Head. 

1852 —  Anthony  Dibrell. 

1853 —  Anthony  Dibrell. 

Washington  Street 

1854 —  George  W.  Langhorne. 

1855 —  George  W.  Langhorne  (G.  W.  Charlton, 
Sup.) . 

1856 —  John  E.  Edwards  (George  W.  Charlton, 
Sup.) . 

1857 —  John  E.  Edwards  (George  W.  Charlton, 
Sup.) . 


122 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


1858 —  Robert  Michaels. 

1859 —  Robert  Michaels  (John  B.  Laurens,  Sup.). 

1860 —  Charles  H.  Hall  (John  B.  Laurens,  Sup.). 

1861 —  Charles  H.  Hall. 

1862 —  William  H.  Wheelwright,  Thomas  H.  Early. 

1863 —  William  H.  Wheelwright,  Thomas  H.  Early. 

1864 —  Charles  C.  Pearson. 

1865 —  Charles  C.  Pearson  (John  B.  Laurens,  Sup.). 

1866 —  James  A.  Duncan. 

1867 —  James  A.  Duncan  (Thomas  S.  Campbell, 
Sup.) . 


Washington  Street  and  Blandford 

1868 —  C.  H.  Hall  (T.  S.  Campbell,  Sup.). 

Washington  Street 

1869 —  Charles  H.  Hall  (T.  S.  Campbell,  Sup.). 

1870 —  Charles  H.  Hall  (John  B.  Laurens,  Sup.). 

1871 —  Charles  H.  Hall  (John  B.  Laurens,  Sup.). 

1872 —  William  W.  Duncan. 

1873 —  William  W.  Duncan. 

1874 —  William  W.  Duncan. 

1875 —  Joseph  H.  Riddick. 

1876 —  Joseph  H.  Riddick. 

1877 —  Joseph  H.  Riddick. 

1878 —  Joseph  H.  Riddick. 

1879 —  J.  D.  Blackwell. 

1880—  J.  D.  Blackwell. 

1881 —  J.  D.  Blackwell. 

1882 —  J.  D.  Blackwell. 

1883 —  John  D.  Blackwell. 

1884—  S.  S.  Lambeth. 

1885 —  S.  S.  Lambeth. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  123 

1886 —  S.  S.  Lambeth. 

1887 —  It.  N.  Sledd. 

1888—  R.  N.  Sledd. 

1889—  — William  E.  Evans. 

1890—  Adam  C.  Bledsoe. 

1891—  A.  C.  Bledsoe. 

1892—  A.  C.  Bledsoe. 

1893—  A.  C.  Bledsoe. 

1894—  W.  G.  Starr. 

1895—  W.  G.  Starr. 

1896 —  W.  E.  Edwards. 

1897 —  W.  E.  Edwards. 

1898 —  George  W.  Wray. 

1899 —  George  W.  Wray. 

1900 —  B.  F.  Lipscomb. 

1901 —  B.  F.  Lipscomb. 

1902—  B.  F.  Lipscomb. 

1903—  W.  G.  Starr. 

1904—  W.  G.  Starr. 

1905 —  W.  G.  Starr. 

1906—  J.  B.  Winn. 

1907—  J.  B.  Winn. 

1908 —  J.  B.  Winn. 

1909 —  J.  B.  Winn. 

1910 —  T.  R.  Reeves,  Nov.,  1910,  to  May,  1911.  Left 
to  take  appointment  as  Principal  of  Blackstone  Female 
Institute.  Fred  R.  Chenault,  June,  1911,  to  Nov.,  1911. 

1911 —  George  E.  Booker. 

1912 —  George  E.  Booker. 

1913 —  George  E.  Booker. 

1914—  S.  T.  Senter. 

1915 —  Richard  Wilkinson. 

1916 —  Richard  Wilkinson. 


124 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


1917—  J.  B.  Winn. 

1918 —  J.  B.  Winn  (H.  P.  Myers). 

1919—  J.  B.  Winn. 

1920—  J.  B.  Winn. 

1921—  J.  B.  Winn. 

1922—  F.  L.  Wells. 

Since  this  list  was  compiled  Rev.  H.  P.  Clarke  has  been  assigned  to 
Washington  Street  Church. 

ROBERT  WILLIAMS— 1773 

ROBERT  WILLIAMS  was  the  Father  of  Meth¬ 
odism  in  Petersburg.  He  came  over  from  Eng¬ 
land  among  the  earliest  preachers  to  be  sent  by 
Wesley  and  first  preached  in  New  York  in  1769. 

His  first  visit  to  Virginia,  he  spent  in  Norfolk  and 
its  vicinity,  but  in  1773  we  find  him  preaching  in 
Petersburg  by  invitation.  From  that  time  Petersburg 
was  his  headquarters.  He  established  Brunswick  Cir¬ 
cuit,  and  traveled  all  over  Southside  Virginia,  preach¬ 
ing  and  forming  “Societies”  in  this  section  of  the 
State.  His  life  in  Virginia  was  brief,  but  he  was  a 
pioneer,  not  only  in  a  physical  sense,  but  in  a  religious 
one  as  well.  The  story  of  his  life  should  be  written 
in  detail,  but  the  scope  of  this  work  forbids  more  than 
a  thumb-nail  sketch.  We  can  but  wonder  what  the 
“good  old  man”'  would  say  and  do  were  he  to  stand 
in  the  beautiful  auditorium  of  Washington  Street 
Church — one  of  the  handsomest  in  the  South— and 
review  the  wonderful  spread  of  the  work  which  he 
started  in  Virginia  150  years  ago.  It  may  be  safely 
said  that  his  first  act  would  be  to  fall  on  his  knees 
and  give  thanks  to  God.  The  following  description 
of  him,  given  by  one  who  knew  him,  is  so  eloquent 
that  it  would  be  superfluous  to  add  to  it. 

Devereaux  Jarratt,  an  Episcopal  preacher,  the  min¬ 
ister  of  Bath  Parish,  in  Dinwiddie  county  from  1763 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  125 

to  1801,  says:  “He  was  a  plain,  artless,  indefatigable 
preacher  of  the  gospel;  he  was  greatly  blessed  in  de¬ 
tecting  the  hypocrite,  razing  false  foundations,  and 
stirring  up  believers  to  press  after  a  present  salvation 
from  the  remains  of  sin.” 

He  was  said  to  have  been  “the  first  Methodist  min¬ 
ister  in  America  that  published  a  book,  the  first  that 
married,  the  first  that  located,  the  first  that  died.” 
He  also  “preached  the  first  Methodist  sermon  in  Vir¬ 
ginia  ;  he  formed  the  first  society ;  he  aided  in  building 
the  first  church,  and  made  out  the  plan  of  the  first 
circuit.” 

Petersburg  was  his  first  station,  given  him  at  the 
first  Conference,  and  when  the  citizens  of  this  good 
old  town  hearken  back  to  the  voices  of  the  past,  surely 
they  will  strain  their  ears  to  catch  the  heavenly  tones 
of  Petersburg’s  first  “good  old  man.” 

He  was  located  in  1774  and  died  in  1775.  Asburv 
preached  the  funeral  sermon  and  recorded  in  his  Jour¬ 
nal:  “He  has  been  a  very  useful,  laborious  man.  The 
Lord  gave  many  souls  to  his  ministry.  Perhaps  no 
one  in  America  has  been  an  instrument  of  awakening 
so  many  souls  as  God  has  awakened  by  him.” 

BRUNSWICK  CIRCUIT— 1774-1780 

John  Wade,  Isaac  Rollins,  Samuel  Spragg — 1774 

In  the  year  1774,  Petersburg  became  the  headquar¬ 
ters  of  what  was  known  as  “Brunswick  Circuit,”  the 
first  circuit  formed  in  Virginia,  and  planned,  as  has 
been  noted,  by  Robert  Williams.  Little  is  known  of 
the  lives  of  these  men.  We  do  know  that  they  labored 
faithfully  and  that  there  was  a  great  revival  this  year 
throughout  the  district. 

John  Wade  was  received  into  the  ministry  in  1774 
and  “located”  in  1777. 

Isaac  Rollins  was  received  into  the  ministry  in  1774. 
He  was  expelled  in  1781. 


126 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Samuel  Spragg  was  received  into  the  ministry  in 
1774  and  withdrawn  in  1778.  Lee  says  he  was  “ex¬ 
pelled.” 


John  King — 1774 

He  was  received  into  the  ministry  in  1773.  Located 
in  1776.  “In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1774,  John 
•  King,  an  Englishman,  came  first  to  the  south  parts  of 
Virginia,  where  his  labours  were  made  a  blessing  to 
many  people.  He  was  a  sensible,  zealous  preacher  and 
was  very  useful  while  he  continued  to  travel.” 

His  work  was  mainly  in  Norfolk  and  “The  Southern 
parts  of  Virginia.”  Minutes  of  the  Conference  station 
him  in  Norfolk,  but  Lee  (p.  51)  attributes  him  to 
Brunswick  Circuit. 

GEORGE  SHADFORD— 1775 

He  was  received  in  1768,  died  in  1816.  George 
Shadford  was  sent  by  Mr.  Wesley  to  America  in  1773. 
He  had  traveled  for  five  years  before  coming  over. 
He  preached  with  great  success  all  through  Southside 
Virginia,  and  from  the  account  of  the  meetings  he 
must  have  been  a  fiery,  impassioned,  earnest  and 
forceful  speaker. 

“In  the  beginning  of  March,  1778,  G.  Shadford  left 
his  friends  after  he  had  kept  a  day  of  private  fasting 
and  prayer  with  Mr.  Asbury,  in  order  to  know  the  will 
of  God.  He  then  said  he  saw  his  way  clear  to  return 
to  England.  Mr.  Asbury  saw  it  best  to  abide  in 
America ;  so  they  parted,  and  each  one  acted  as  he 
thought  right.” 

He  came  to  America  in  1773  and  returned  to  Europe 
with  Thomas  Rankin  and  Martin  Rodda,  two  Eng¬ 
lishmen,  who  only  stayed  a  short  time  in  this  country. 
It  is  related  they  were  not  in  sympathy  with  “The 
Revolution.” 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  127 

Shadford  was  born  in  England  in  1739.  He  was 
at  one  time  in  the  army  and  led  a  dissolute  life  until 
he  was  converted.  After  preaching  in  England  he 
came  to  this  country  and  labored  in  New  York  and 
Baltimore  before  he  was  sent  to  Virginia  in  1775.  At 
this  time  there  were  800  members  in  the  Circuit,  but 
they  were  “joined  in  a  very  confused  manner.”  After 
this  great  revival  of  1775,  mainly  carried  through  by 
Shadford,  the  number  increased  to  near  1,200  in 
Brunswick  Circuit  alone. 

ROBERT  LINDSAY— 1775 

Received  1774.  Located  1788. 

Lee  says  of  him  in  his  “Short  History.” 

“He  was  an  Irishman  by  birth  and  went  to  Europe 
in  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War  and  traveled  and 
preached  until  1788.” 

Stevens’  History  of  the  Methodist  Church  says: 

“The  American  Conference,  in  its  extreme  need  of 
laborers,  received  him  in  1775.  After  traveling  some 
nine  or  ten  years,  his  mind,  always  infirm,  sunk  into  a 
species  of  mania  on  the  Brunswick  Circuit,  Va.,  where 
he  probably  overtaxed  his  energies  in  the  great  re¬ 
ligious  excitements  of  that  region.” 

EDWARD  DRUMGOOLE— 1775 

Received  1774.  Located  in  1778  (Bangs). 

Bennett  says  he  was  located  in  1786. 

Served  Brunswick  Circuit  in  1775  and  in  1785. 

Trustee  of  Ebenezer  Academy. 

Drumgoole  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  first  lived 
near  Baltimore,  where  he  was  converted  and  joined 
the  Methodists.  He  preached  until  1786,  when  he 
settled  in  Brunswick  county  and  lived  about  fifteen 
miles  from  Lawrenceville.  He  lived  until  1835  and 
died  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  He  pros- 


128 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


pered  after  leaving  the  ministry,  but  continued  to 
preach  locally  when  needed.  Two  of  his  sons  became 
preachers — one,  George  C.  Drumgoole,  represented 
this  district  in  Congress.  He  “possessed  a  high 
order  of  intellect;  plain  in  his  dress,  gentle  and  un¬ 
assuming  in  his  deportment,  of  deep  piety  and  of  great 
moral  worth.  He  was  for  piety,  zeal  and  usefulness 
the  embodiment  of  a  primitive  Methodist  preacher.” 

WILLIAM  GLENDENNING— 1775 

Received  1775.  Withdrew  1785. 

It  was  thought  that  he  “lost  his  reason,”  and  this 
conclusion  was  reached  by  his  brethren  after  reading 
a  book  written  and  published  by  him,  entitled  “The 
Life  of  Wm.  Glendenning.”  Not  the  first  time  that  a 
man  who  writes  a  book  earns  the  soubriquet  of 
“crazy.”  He  asked  for  readmission  in  1792,  but  the 
Conference  still  believed  him  to  be  “beside  himself” 
and  refused  to  admit  him.  He  states  in  his  book  that 
the  General  Conference  wanted  him  to  go  to  Nova 
Scotia,  but  he  “refused  with  warmth.” 

WILLIAM  DUKE— 1776 

Received  1774.  Located  1779. 

WILLIAM  WATTERS— 1777 

Received  in  1773.  Located  in  1783  (Bangs). 

“The  first  Methodist  preacher  raised  up  in  America, 
who  traveled  the  western  wilds,  and  labored  in  the 
woods  of  Kentucky.” 

“Wm.  Watters  of  the  western  shore  of  Maryland 
began  to  travel  this  year ;  and  he  was  the  first  travel¬ 
ing  preacher  that  was  raised  up  among  the  Methodists 
in  America.” 

He  was  converted  in  a  revival  held  by  Robert  Wil¬ 
liams  and  John  King  in  1770. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  129 

Noted  as  a  member  of  General  Conference  in  1804 
from  the  Baltimore  Conference.  He  may  have  been 
readmitted,  or  it  may  have  been  another  by  the  same 
name.  He  was  a  native  of  Maryland. 

FREEBORN  GARRETTSON— 1777 

Received  in  1776.  Died  in  1827. 

A  man  of  some  carelessness,  yet  sincere  and  earnest 
in  his  work.  On  one  occasion  he  undertook  to  travel 
into  Virginia  to  advise  the  traveling  preachers  of  a 
most  important  meeting  at  Baltimore  at  Christmas. 
The  account  says:  “But  being  fond  of  preaching  by 
the  way,  and  thinking  he  could  do  the  business  by 
writing,  he  did  not  give  timely  notice  to  the  preachers 
who  were  in  the  extremities  of  the  work ;  and,  of 
course,  several  of  them  were  not  at  that  Conference.” 

He  must  have  been  a  lovable  and  interesting,  if 
dilatory  man,  or  is  it  ungracious  after  this  lapse  of 
time  to  even  imagine  that  he  may  have  been  not  very 
intent  on  getting  men  to  the  Conference  who  might 
not  be  in  sympathy  with  his  ideas.  “Church  politics” 
may  not  be  a  new  thing  after  all. 

At  this  General  Conference  of  1784  he  was  ordained 
and  sent  immediately  to  Nova  Scotia.  In  1787  he 
returned  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  Wesley  had  di¬ 
rected  that  he  be  made  Superintendent  for  Nova  Scotia, 
but  when  his  brethren  insisted  that  if  he  accept  the 
position  he  should  stay  there,  and  “not  be  at  liberty  to 
return  again  to  this  country,”  he  declined  the  appoint¬ 
ment.  One  cannot  but  admire  his  judgment  and  inde¬ 
pendence  and  perhaps  also  be  faintly  amused  at  his 
determination  to  stay  with  these  brethren,  who  seemed 
rather  desirous  of  parting  with  him  forever. 

At  the  General  Conference  held  in  1788,  he  was 
appointed  Presiding  Elder  of  the  district  around  Lake 
Champlain.  There  was  a  revival  under  his  direction 
and  leadership,  and  the  work  greatly  prospered.  “He 


130 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


opened  the  way  into  the  interior  of  New  York  State 
and  penetrated  into  Vermont.” 

A  member  of  the  first  Council  in  1789,  and  of  the 
second  Council  in  1790.  Member  of  the  General  Con¬ 
ference  in  1804  in  Baltimore  from  the  New  York 
Conference. 


JOHN  TUNNELL— 1777 

Received  in  1777.  Died  in  1790. 

Ordained  an  Elder  at  the  General  Conference  of 
1784,  held  December  27th  in  Baltimore.  He  was  “a 
man  of  solid  piety,  great  simplicity,  and  godly  sin¬ 
cerity;  well  known  and  much  esteemed  both  by  min¬ 
isters  and  people.  His  gifts  as  a  preacher  were  great 
and  his  conduct  as  a  pious  man  worthy  of  imitation.” 
He  was  buried  at  a  meeting  house  about  five  miles 
east  of  Sweet  Springs.  He  was  a  member  of  Holston 
Conference  in  1788,  where  he  made  many  conversions. 

i  JOHN  DICKINS— 1778 

Received  in  1777.  Located  1781.  Readmitted  1783 
in  New  York.  Died  1798. 

One  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Fund  for  Relief  of  the 
Superannuated  and  Wornout  Ministers  and  Preachers 
in  1796 — the  first  creation  of  such  a  fund.  He  was 
mentioned  first  and  probably  was  instrumental  in  this 
work.  The  work  of  the  ministry  was  so  hard  that  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  keep  full  ranks.  This  fund 
relieved  the  situation  to  some  extent.  He  was  born 
in  London  and  received  his  education  there.  It  is  not 
known  when  he  emigrated,  but  he  became  converted 
and  joined  the  Methodists  in  Virginia  in  1774. 
Preached  through  the  Revolutionary  War  in  Virginia 
until  1781.  Moved  to  New  York  and  in  1783  was  re¬ 
admitted  and  made  Superintendent  of  the  Book  Con¬ 
cern  in  Philadelphia.  He  was  well  educated  and  well 
fitted  for  this  position  on  account  of  his  literary  at- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  131 


tainments.  He  wrote  the  “Short  Scriptural  Cate¬ 
chism,”  used  for  many  years  by  his  church.  His 
executive  ability  put  the  Publishing  Department  of 
the  Church  on  a  sound  and  prosperous  basis.  He 
stuck  to  his  post  throughout  the  yellow  fever  epidemic 
in  Philadelphia,  but  succumbed  to  the  dread  disease 
in  1798.  Bishop  Asbury  said  of  him:  “For  piety, 
probity,  profitable  preaching,  holy  living,  Christian 
education  of  his  children,  and  secret  closet  prayers, 
I  doubt  whether  his  superior  is  to  be  found  either  in 
Europe  or  America.” 

One  of  the  leaders  in  the  move  to  allow  ministers 
to  administer  the  holy  ordinances  of  the  Church. 

Ordained  Deacon  at  General  Conference  of  1784.  A 
member  of  the  first  Council  in  1789,  and  of  the  second 
Council  in  1790.  One  of  three  members  to  superin¬ 
tend  Cokesbury  College  in  the  recess  of  the  Council 
and  the  absence  of  the  Bishop. 

“His  skill  and  fidelity  as  editor,  inspector  and  cor¬ 
rector  of  the  press  was  exceedingly  great.  He  con¬ 
ducted  the  whole  of  his  business  with  punctuality  and 
integrity.  His  death  was  more  sensibly  felt  by  the 
Methodist  connection  in  general  than  we  had  ever 
known  or  felt  in  the  death  of  any  other  preacher 
that  had  died  among  us.” 

EDWARD  PRIDE— 1778 

Received  in  1777.  Located  in  1781. 

In  Sussex  Circuit  in  1780. 

THOMAS  MORRIS— 1779 

Received  in  1781.  Located  in  1790. 

He  sided  with  Gatch  and  O’Kelly  as  to  ordinances 
in  1779.  Ordained  an  elder  at  the  Conference  held  in 
Petersburg  by  Asbury  in  1788. 


132 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


JAMES  MORRIS-1779 
Received  1779.  Located  1785. 

Sided  with  O’Kelly  in  1779  as  to  administration  of 
the  ordinances. 


RICHARD  IVY— 1779 

Received  in  1778.  Died  in  1795. 

Ordained  an  Elder  at  General  Conference  of  1784. 
Member  of  the  first  Council  in  1789.  He  was  a  native 
of  Sussex  county,  Va.,  but  traveled  extensively  from 
New  Jersey  to  Georgia.  “He  was  a  man  of  quick  and 
solid  parts  and  preached  with  a  good  degree  of  ani¬ 
mation.”  “He  was  powerful  and  animated  in  the 
pulpit  and  bold  as  a  lion  in  the  cause  of  his  master.” 

SUSSEX  CIRCUIT— 1780  TO  1781 
Leroy  Cole — 1780 

Received  1777.  Died  in  1830.  Ordained  Elder  at 
General  Conference  in  1784. 

In  1785  he  was  “laid  aside  or  expelled.” 

“Soon  after  his  expulsion  he  was  restored  to  the 
traveling  connection.”  Sided  with  O’Kelly  as  to  ad¬ 
ministration  of  ordinances  in  1779.  Preached  in  Glou¬ 
cester  and  Mathews  counties  with  great  success  in 
1797. 


SAMUEL  WATSON— 1780 
Received  in  1780.  Located  in  1783. 

BRUNSWICK  CIRCUIT— 1781  TO  1793 
Caleb  Boyer — 1781 
Received  in  1780.  Located  in  1788. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  133 
RICHARD  GARRETTSON— 1782 

Received  1779.  Located  in  1783. 

JOSEPH  CROMWELL-1782 

Received  in  1777.  Located  in  1793. 

Stevens,  speaking  of  Asbury,  says: 

“As  the  next  Conference  approached  he  wrote  to 
Wesley  that  he  had  been  on  Brunswick  Circuit,  ‘the 
oldest  and  best  in  Virginia/  ‘Many  faithful  people/ 
he  adds,  ‘joined  us  at  our  first  coming  here,  having 
been  convinced  by  the  faithful  preaching  of  our  worthy 
friend,  Mr.  Jarratt.  I  found  the  labors  of  those  two 
men  of  God,  James  O’Kelly  and  Joseph  Cromwell,  had 
been  blessed  to  the  awakening  and  conversion  of 
souls.” 


JEREMIAH  LAMBERT— 1782 

Recieved  in  1781.  Died  1786. 

Ordained  an  Elder  at  the  General  Conference  in 
Baltimore  in  1784  and  sent  to  Antiguam,  West  Indies. 
His  health  declined  and  he  returned  shortly  to  Mary¬ 
land,  where  he  died. 

“A  man  of  sound  judgment,  clear  understanding, 
good  gifts,  genuine  piety,  and  very  useful,  humble  and 
holy;  diligent  in  life  and  resigned  in  death;  much  es¬ 
teemed  in  the  connection,  and  justly  lamented.” 

PETER  MORIARITY— 1782 

Received  in  1782.  Died  1814. 

He  was  a  Roman  Catholic  until  he  was  sixteen  years 
old  when,  as  he  says,  “it  pleased  God  to  send  the  people 
called  Methodists  into  the  neighborhood  where  I  was 
born.”  He  was  forbidden  by  his  parents  and  the  priest 
to  hear  them,  “as  they  were  a  very  dangerous  people.” 
However,  he  did  hear  them,  and  in  his  own  words, 


134 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


“I  continued  to  hear  them  till  it  pleased  the  Lord  to 
open  my  eyes.” 

“Although  he  might  not  have  been  classed  among 
the  greatest  speakers,  certainly  he  was  among  the 
most  useful;  plain  in  his  dress,  plain  in  his  manners, 
and  plain  and  pointed  in  his  preaching;  in  short,  his 
life  was  a  constant  comment  upon  the  gospel  he 
preached.” 

“Having  fulfilled  his  ministry  with  fidelity,  had 
taken  his  departure  from  the  field  of  labors  to  the 
land  of  rest.” 


JAMES  O’KELLY— 1783 

Received  in  1778.  Withdrawn  1793. 

One  of  the  leaders  in  the  movement  to  administer 
the  holy  ordinances.  A  man  of  great  independence  of 
character,  firm  and  unyielding  in  his  thought  and  con¬ 
victions.  The  faction  of  which  he  was  the  head 
claimed  that  if  they  were  called  upon  to  preach,  they 
were  also  called  upon  to  administer  the  ordinances  of 
the  Church. 

James  O’Kelly  ordained  at  General  Conference  of 
1784.  A  member  of  the  first  Council  in  1789. 

In  1792  at  the  General  Conference  of  that  year,  his 
independent  and  democratic  spirit  brought  him  again 
into  conflict  with  the  majority  of  his  brethren.  He 
was  in  favor  of  allowing  a  preacher  an  appeal  to  the 
Conference,  if  he  thought  that  he  had  been  injured  in 
his  appointment  by  the  Bishop.  He  was  defeated  in 
his  contention  and  with  his  friends  and  supporters, 
many  from  Virginia,  left  the  Conference  and  the 
Methodist  Church.  It  must  be  confessed  that  to  the 
present  day  laymen  his  suggestion  was  not  unreason¬ 
able.  The  Methodist  Church,  founded  in  the  most 
democratic  spirit  and  manner,  still  contains  remnants 
of  autocracy  that  are  causing  some  restiveness. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  135 


O’Kelly  continued  to  travel  and  preach  on  his  own 
motion  until  his  death  and  had  many  followers.  It  is 
interesting  here  because  he,  and  so  many  of  his  fol¬ 
lowers,  lived  in  Southside  Virginia.  They  formed  a 
new  party,  with  O’Kelly  at  the  head,  and  called  them¬ 
selves  “Republican  Methodists.”  Their  plan  was  in¬ 
tensely  democratic.  All  were  to  be  on  equal  footing — 
one  preacher  was  not  to  be  above  another ;  they  prom¬ 
ised  to  the  lay  members  greater  liberties  than  they 
had  formerly  enjoyed.  In  the  year  1801  they  changed 
their  name  and  called  themselves  “The  Christian 
Church.”  They  were  popularly  called  “O’Kellyan 
Methodists.”  They  are  not  to  be  confused  with  the 
“Christians”  or  “Disciples  of  Christ”  as  known  today, 
although  many  of  the  O’Kellyans  joined  with  that 
organization. 

He  died  in  1826  in  the  ninety-second  year  of  his  age. 

JOHN  ROBERTSON— 1784 

Received  in  1784.  Located  in  1787. 

Jesse  Lee  says,  p.  196,  that  “John  Robinson”  lo¬ 
cated  in  1793.  It  is  probably  the  same.  It  may  be 
ehat  this  is  the  preacher  who  joined  the  O’Kellyan 
ranks  in  1793. 

JAMES  HAW— 1785 

Received  in  1781.  Located  in  1791. 

He  and  Benjamin  Ogden  were  the  first  preachers 
sent  to  Kentucky,  then  a  newly  settled  country.  They 
“laboured  with  great  success  and  were  prospered  in 
their  endeavors  to  build  up  the  Redeemer’s  Kingdom.” 
This  was  in  1786,  so  it  is  seen  that  he  left  Petersburg 
for  this  pioneer  work  in  the  western  country.  He  was 
known  as  “the  first  missionary  to  Kentucky.” 

PHILIP  COX— 1786 

Received  in  1782.  Located  in  1794. 

An  Englishman  by  birth,  in  the  ministry  for  14 
years.  He  traveled  in  several  States  and  “preached 


136 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


the  gospel  with  considerable  success.”  “He  was  a  man 
of  sound  judgment,  of  quick  apprehension  and  a  great 
lover  of  un'on,  and  often  prayed  and  preached  to  the 
admiration  of  his  hearers.”  He  was  a  pioneer  in  the 
uncivilized  part  of  the  country  and  distributed  re¬ 
ligious  books  through  the  western  wilds.  The  hard¬ 
ships  of  his  work  in  an  undeveloped  country  brought 
his  life  to  an  untimely  end.  He  was  a  very  small  man. 
At  one  time,  owing  to  the  condition  of  his  health,  he 
thought  of  leaving  the  ministry,  but  upon  weighing 
and  finding  he  weighed  100  pounds,  he  said  he  would 
never  quit  as  long  as  he  weighed  that  much. 

JAMES  GIBBONS— 1786 

Received  in  1782.  Located  in  1784. 

HENRY  MERRITT— 1786 

Received  in  1783.  Located  in  1796. 

Trustee  of  Ebenezer  Academy. 

HENRY  JONES— 1787 

Received  in  1782.  Located  in  1788. 

JOHN  EASTER— 1787 

Received  in  1782.  Located  in  1792. 

Served  Brunswick  Circuit  1787  and  1790.  Born  in 
Mecklenburg  county,  Va.  His  home  was  one  of  the 
meeting  places  of  Methodists  in  that  section  of  the 
State.  From  the  reports  that  have  come  to  us  he 
must  have  been  a  remarkable  man.  He  was  probably 
the  most  effective  preacher  of  his  time.  His  speech 
was  simple,  almost  rude,  but  he  spoke  with  such  fervor 
and  power  that  he  never  failed  to  reach  the  deepest 
emotions,  and  it  “was  no  unusual  thing  for  scores  and 
hundreds  to  fall  down  in  the  pangs  of  sudden  and 
powerful  conviction.”  On  one  of  his  circuits  1,800 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STRFET  CHURCH  137 


members  were  added  to  the  church  in  one  year. 
Bishops  McKendree  and  George  were  converted  under 
his  preaching.  Many  extraordinary  stories  are  told 
of  his  service.  “The  facts  which  have  come  down  to 
our  times,”  says  Dr.  Lee,  “of  the  almost  miraculous 
labors  of  the  Rev.  John  Easter,  his  strong  faith  and 
his  astonishing  success,  are  far  more  surprising  than 
any  of  those  recorded  in  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man.” 

He  had  a  son  who  was  a  Methodist  minister,  but 
who  finally  took  orders  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  and 
lived  in  Baltimore.  Their  name  died  out  in  this  part 
of  Virginia. 


JOHN  PAUP— 1788 

Received  in  1785.  Located  in  1792. 

Served  Brunswick  Circuit  1788  and  1791. 

He  came  to  this  Circuit  from  the  “Northern  Neck” 
of  Virginia,  where  he  had  been  threatened  with  con¬ 
finement  in  jail  for  his  preaching.  He  was  evidently 
an  ardent  and  fearless  exhorter  and  he  had  much  suc¬ 
cess  in  his  work. 

BENJAMIN  OGDEN— 1788 

Received  in  1786.  Died  in  1834. 

Upon  his  admission  he  was  sent  with  James  Haw, 
who  had  been  stationed  at  Petersburg,  to  the  unex¬ 
plored  country  of  Kentucky.  He  only  stayed  a  short 
time,  for  in  1788  we  find  him  stationed  on  the  Circuit 
from  which  his  co-laborer,  Haw,  had  been  sent.  Their 
work  in  Kentucky  was  very  successful  and  they  built 
up  many  societies  there,  and  it  was  said  “many  people 
in  the  western  country  will  have  cause  to  bless  God 
for  the  coming  of  those  preachers  into  that  part  of  the 
world.”  He  was  never  admitted  into  full  connection, 
according  to  Jesse  Lee,  who  puts  him  in  a  list  of  those 
preachers  who  were  on  trial. 


138 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


JEREMIAH  MINTER— 1789 

Received  in  1787.  Located  in  1791. 

MYLES  GREEN— 1789 

Received  in  1831. 

One  list  gives  Myles  Green  as  being  on  Brunswick 
Circuit  in  1789.  Bangs  list,  Vol.  IV,  gives  his  name 
as  “Received  1831”— nothing  more  said.  Lee  gives 
him  as  received  in  1789,  but  puts  him  in  a  list  of 
probationers,  and  never  admitted  into  full  connection. 

THOMAS  EASTER— 1790 

Received  in  1790.  Located  in  1796. 

Brother  of  John  Easter.  He  was  overshadowed  by 
the  brilliance  of  his  brother,  and  very  little  of  his  life 
has  come  down  to  us. 

ARCHER  DAVIS— 1791 

Received  in  1788.  Located  in  1793. 

JOHN  BALDWIN— 1792 

Received  in  1782.  Located  in  1795. 

The  first  session  of  the  Virginia  Conference  held  in 
Petersburg  was  in  1788,  and  John  Baldwin  was  or¬ 
dained  a  deacon,  in  the  church  on  Market  Street. 

BENJAMIN  BARNES— 1792 
Received  in  1788.  Located  in  1794. 

PETERSBURG  (STATION)— 1793-1794 

John  Lindsay — 1793-1794 

Received  in  1789.  Located  in  1795. 

He  served  in  the  mountains  of  Western  Virginia 
in  1792.  He  had  followed  O’Kelly  in  his  views,  but 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  139 

admitted  his  error  in  doctrine  and  was  continued  in 
Methodist  fellowship  at  Conference  of  1792,  and  or¬ 
dained  an  Elder  at  this  time. 

BRUNSWICK  CIRCUIT  (1795-1804) 

John  N.  Jones — 1795 

Received  in  1790.  Died  in  1799. 

John  N.  Jones  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  traveled 
eight  years.  ‘‘He  had  been  zealous  and  useful  and 
died  in  the  Lord.”  “He  was  a  very  plain  man  in  his 
dress  and  manners.  He  was  a  man  of  afflictions  and 
weakness  of  body  and  almost  wornout  with  his  suf¬ 
ferings,  yet  he  was  unwilling  to  leave  the  work  of 
God.”  He  died  in  Charleston.  “He  was  full  of  zeal, 
a  fervent  preacher  and  a  successful  laborer  in  the 
vineyard  of  the  Lord.” 

WILLIAM  KAVANAUGH— 1795 

Received  in  1794.  Located  in  1798. 

BENNETT  MAXEY— 1796 

Received  in  1788.  Located  in  1797.  Re-admitted. 

From  Powhatan  county,  Virginia.  He  was  much 
beloved  and  venerated  and  lived  a  long  and  useful  life 
in  the  ministry.  The  family  name  still  persists  in 
Powhatan  countv. 

H.  M.  GAINES— 1796 

Received  in  1795.  Located  in  1799. 

IRA  ELLIS— 1796 

Received  in  1782.  Located  in  1797. 

Ordained  an  elder  by  Asbury  at  the  first  Conference 
held  in  Petersburg  in  1788.  Virginia  Conference  min¬ 
utes  of  1804  show  Ira  Ellis  admitted  in  that  year.  It 
is  presumed  that  he  went  back  into  the  itinerant  min¬ 
istry. 


140 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


JAMES  MEACHAM — 1797  (i/2  year) 

Received  in  1792.  Located  in  1798. 

JOEL  TUCKER 

Received  in  1792.  Located  in  1798. 

The  Bishop  must  have  been  “trying  out”  the  young 
fellows,  but  they  didn’t  last  very  long,  for  Meacham, 
Tucker,  and  Sands  retired  after  half  a  year’s  work  on 
this  circuit. 

ENOCH  GEORGE— 1797  (i/2  year) 

Received  in  1790.  Died  in  1828. 

Member  from  Baltimore  Conference  to  General  Con¬ 
ference  in  1812. 

This  distinguished  man  was  with  us  only  a  short 
time — one-half  a  year — but  he  afterwards  became  a 
Bishop,  and  a  short  sketch  would  be  interesting.  The 
“Minutes  of  the  Conference  for  1829  do  not  place  him 
in  Petersburg,  but  say  simply  that  in  1796  and  1797 
he  was  a  presiding  elder.  He  was  born  in  Virginia 
and  joined  the  ministry  when  he  was  about  22  years 
old.  He  “traveled”  as  a  young  man,  mainly  in  South 
Carolina.  Before  he  was  made  Bishop  his  work  was 
mostly  in  Maryland.  “Bishop  George  was  a  man  of 
deep  piety,  of  great  simplicity  of  manners,  a  very  pa¬ 
thetic,  powerful  and  successful  preacher,  greatly 
beloved  in  life  and  very  extensively  lamented  in  death.” 
His  father  lived  for  a  while  in  Dinwiddie  and  Bruns¬ 
wick  counties,  Virginia,  and  he  became  impressed  by 
the  teachings  of  Devereaux  Jarratt.  From  the  min¬ 
utes  of  the  Conference  for  1829 :  “He  was  a  preacher 
of  rare  ability.  His  voice  was  powerful,  but  not  harsh, 
under  perfect  control,  and  seemed  peculiarly  fitted  for 
the  expression  of  pathetic  thoughts.  His  style  was  a 
mixture  of  the  sublime  and  the  pathetic.  In  his  flights 
of  eloquence,  he  often  carried  the  whole  congregation 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  141 


away  as  with  a  flood.”  While  not  a  native  of  Peters¬ 
burg,  part  of  his  young  manhood  was  spent  in  this 
locality. 

PHILIP  SANDS— 1797  (i/2  year) -1798 

Received  in  1792.  Located  1799. 

STITH  MEAD— 1798 

Received  in  1792.  Located  in  1816. 

In  1804  he  was  preaching  with  great  success  in 
Bedford,  Amherst  and  Campbell  counties,  bringing 
“more  than  eleven  hundred  souls  into  gospel  liberty 
in  about  six  months.”  He  undertook  in  1808  to  give 
the  consolation  of  religion  to  the  unfortunates  in  the 
Virginia  Penitentiary  and  in  a  few  months  48  of  the 
prisoners  were  formed  into  a  “Society.”  This  is  the 
only  record  of  the  entire  membership  of  a  Methodist 
Society  being  confined  at  one  time  in  a  penitentiary. 
It  was  a  most  remarkable  work.  The  Society  pre¬ 
sented  an  address,  signed  by  their  “Leader,”  to  the 
Virginia  Conference  of  1809,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  documents  ever  written,  and  done  in  a  re¬ 
markable  way.  There  is  no  more  beautiful  testimonial 
recorded  anywhere  than  this  expression  from  these 
“convicts”  of  their  love  and  admiration  for  Stith 
Mead.  If  he  had  done  nothing  else  in  the  world,  this 
one  work  should  have  placed  him  with  the  immortals. 

He  was  born  in  Bedford  county,  Virginia,  in  1767, 
the  son  of  Col.  Wm.  Mead,  who  was  a  farmer  of  con¬ 
siderable  means  and  had  served  with  distinction  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  His  family  moved  to  Georgia, 
but  on  a  return  visit  to  Virginia  in  1789  he  was  con¬ 
verted  at  Bedford  and  joined  the  ministry.  He 
preached  throughout  Virginia  for  seven  years,  and 
was  then  transferred  to  Georgia,  but  later  in  life  came 
back  to  Virginia.  He  wrote  voluminously  and  gave 
much  information  concerning  the  work  of  the  church. 


142 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


“ Without  being  a  great,  he  was  always  a  successful 
preacher.  Methodism  has  had  few  laborers  more  faith¬ 
ful  and  efficient  than  Stith  Mead.” 

In  1797  he  led  a  wonderful  revival  in  Gloucester 
and  Mathews  counties  in  Virginia — 540  added  to  the 
Methodist  Church  besides  those  to  other  denomina¬ 
tions.  Founder  of  Methodism  in  Lynchburg. 

JOHN  EVANS — 1798 

Received  in  1798.  Located  in  1801. 

PEMBROKE  (PEMBERTON)  SMITH— 1799 

Received  in  1798.  Located  in  1802. 

One  list  gives  “Pemberton,”  and  Bangs  gives  “Pem¬ 
broke.”  Lee  gives  “Pern  Smith.” 

At  the  Conference  in  1800  it  was  reported  “Pember¬ 
ton  Smith  labors  under  difficulties,  but  is  willing  to 
travel  another  year.” 

JOHN  MOORE— 1799 

Received  in  1799.  Located  in  1805. 

JOSEPH  HILL— 1800 

Received  in  1797.  Located  1801. 

JOHN  COX— 1800 

Received  in  1800.  Located  1806. 

A  member  of  the  General  Conference  of  1804  held 
in  Baltimore  from  the  Virginia  Conference. 

WILLIAM  ORMOND— 1801 

Received  in  1791.  Died  1803. 

He  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  died  in 
Brunswick  county,  Va.,  of  yellow  fever,  which  he  was 
thought  to  have  taken  in  Norfolk.  “He  was  a  good 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  143 


preacher  and  very  useful.”  At  the  Conference  of  1800 
it  was  reported  “Wm.  Ormond  had  obliged  himself  by 
promise  to  travel  only  six  months.”  Put  on  a  com¬ 
mittee  at  Conference  of  1803  to  prepare  a  remon¬ 
strance  and  petition  relative  to  slavery.  This  question 
was  agitating  the  Church  almost  from  the  beginning, 
and  finally  resulted  in  causing  the  final  breach. 

“He  was  quick  in  body  and  in  mind,  but  was  affec¬ 
tionate,  fervent  and  faithful;  he  was  gracious  and 
giftful,  a  good  man  and  a  good  preacher.  He  had  a 
high  sense  of  the  rights  of  men,  of  Christians  and  of 
Christian  ministers,  but  was  open  to  information  when 
candidly  and  mildly  addressed.” 

Somehow  this  pen  picture  of  one  of  the  early  preach¬ 
ers  lingers  in  our  minds.  We  know  that  he  met  many 
kindred  spirits  in  this  brave  old  town. 

DAVID  M.  HUME— 1801 

Bangs  does  not  give  this  name  at  all. 

Lee  says  he  was  received  in  1801  and  died  in  1802. 

He  was  a  probationer  and  never  admitted  into  full 
connection.  Virginia  Conference,  1801,  reports  his 
admission. 

NATHANIEL  WALKER— 1802 

Received  in  1797.  Located  1805. 

BANK  M.  BURROUGH— 1802 

Bangs  does  not  give  this  name  at  all. 

Lee  puts  him  in  list  of  probationers. 

Does  not  show  that  he  was  ever  admitted  in  full 
connection.  Virginia  Conference  of  1801  reports  his 
admission  on  trial. 

JOHN  BUXTON— 1803 

Received  in  1791.  Located  1814. 

Member  of  General  Conference  of  1804  held  in  Bal¬ 
timore  from  the  Virginia  Conference.  Member  of 


144 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


General  Conference  of  1812  held  in  New  York  from 
the  Virginia  Conference. 

“He  was  a  little  dictatorial  in  his  official  bearing; 
he  had  a  fine  voice,  was  an  excellent  singer  and  elo¬ 
quent  and  fervent  in  prayer.  His  sermons  were  some¬ 
times  deficient  in  point,  and  he  did  not  always  observe 
the  rule  “not  to  preach  too  long  or  too  loud.  But  for 
his  long,  disinterested  and  faithful  labors  his  name 
should  be  remembered.” 

At  the  Virginia  Conference  in  1811  he  was  appointed 
one  of  a  committee  of  three  to  prepare  rules  to  regu¬ 
late  the  Conference. 

WILLIAM  WRIGHT,  JR.— 1803 

Received  in  1803.  Located  1807. 

Probably  the  son  of  Wm.  Wright,  who  died  in  1784* 

PETERSBURG  (STATION)— 1804  TO  1814 

Jesse  Lee — 1804 

Received  1782.  Died  1816. 

“Who  led  the  way  into  New  England  and  laid  the 
foundation  for  that  work  of  God  there,  which  has 
since  reared  itself  in  beauty  and  glory.” 

Member  of  General  Conference  from  Virginia  in 
1812. 

Jesse  Lee  was  the  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Elizabeth 
Lee,  of  Prince  George  county,  Virginia.  He  was  born 
in  1758.  His  family  were  parishioners  of  Devereaux 
Jarratt,  but  united  with  the  Methodist  Societies,  and 
Jesse  was  probably  converted  by  the  preaching  of  Rob¬ 
ert  Williams.  His  father  was  most  active  as  a  Meth¬ 
odist  in  Petersburg  and  was  one  of  the  active  movers 
in  the  building  of  the  new  Methodist  Church  on  Market 
Street  in  1788. 

He  was  drafted  into  the  militia  during  the  Revolu¬ 
tion,  but  refused  to  fight  for  fear  he  would  violate 
the  command,  “Thou  shalt  not  kill.”  He  was  put  in 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  145 


command  of  a  baggage  wagon  and  allowed  to  act  as 
chaplain.  He  did  a  great  work  at  this  time. 

First  served  in  North  Carolina  and  South  Carolina, 
then  to  Maryland  and  New  Jersey  and  New  York,  and 
finally  found  himself  in  New  England,  which  was  to  be 
the  theatre  of  his  great  work.  He  was  the  pioneer  in 
the  land  of  the  Pilgrims  and  he  spent  eight  years  of 
his  life  in  the  wonderful  work.  When  he  was  with¬ 
drawn  in  1797  to  travel  with  Asbury,  he  left  in  New 
England  nearly  forty  traveling  preachers  and  three 
thousand  members. 

For  several  years  he  traveled  with  Asbury  and 
formed  acquaintances  throughout  the  entire  field  of 
the  Church.  Such  was  the  confidence  of  the  preachers 
in  him  that  at  the  General  Conference  in  1800  he  was 
defeated  for  Bishop  by  Whatcoat  by  only  four  votes. 

After  this  he  came  back  home — to  the  Virginia  Con¬ 
ference — where  he  filled  several  stations  as  a  pastor 
and  presiding  elder.  He  was  elected  chaplain  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  for  several  successive  years 
and  was  most  popular  and  revered  among  the 
membership. 

Jesse  Lee  was  a  native  of  Petersburg,  and  as  such 
the  city  is  proud  of  him  and  of  his  work.  He  was  a 
very  large  man,  with  fair  skin  and  gray  eyes,  and 
possessed  much  geniality  and  affability.  His  wit  was 
sharp  and  keen,  but  it  was  always  good-natured.  As 
a  preacher  he  had  no  equal  in  the  Virginia  Conference 
and  few  equals  in  the  Methodist  ministry.  “His  preach¬ 
ing  was  plain,  practical,  experimental,”  and  “but  few 
men  that  I  have  heard  ever  preached  more  fully  under 
the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,”  says  a  contemporary. 
He  was  an  animated  speaker,  and  preached  with 
eloquence  and  power. 

His  style  as  a  writer  is  not  very  polished,  but  it  is 
interesting,  and  his  “Short  History  of  the  Methodists” 
is  still  a  text-book  of  the  happenings  of  those  early 
days  in  Methodism. 


146 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


JOHN  POTTS— 1805-1806 

Received  in  1796.  Located  in  1809. 

Member  of  General  Conference  in  Baltimore,  1804, 
from  the  Baltimore  Conference.  The  next  year  he 
came  to  Virginia. 

Delegate  from  Philadelphia  Conference  to  General 
Conference  in  1832  (or  another  by  same  name).  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Stewards  of  Market 
Street  Church  and  resigned  from  that  body  to  enter 
the  ministry.  Probably  born  in  Petersburg,  and  he 
was  one  of  the  most  faithful  workers  in  the  early  days 
of  the  nineteenth  century. 

WILLIAM  HUBBARD— 1807 

Received  in  1801.  Located  1809. 

It  was  reported  in  the  minutes  of  this  Conference, 
1801,  that  “objections  were  brought  against  him  on 
account  of  his  not  having  exercised  his  gifts  and  being 
in  debt,”  but  he  was  admitted  by  a  small  majority.  The 
Methodist  Church  has  always  insisted  on  carefulness 
in  money  matters,  much  to  their  credit.  It  is  sup¬ 
posed  that  after  this  Brother  Hubbard  became  more 
careful. 


ERASMUS  HILL— 1808 
Received  in  1805.  Located  1810. 

PLEASANT  THURMAN— 1809 
Received  in  1806.  Located  1812. 

BENJAMIN  DEVANEY— 1810 

Received  in  1806.  Located  1812. 

Wrote  accounts  of  the  work  in  Virginia  and  they 
evidence  a  good  literary  style.  He  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  in  1788.  He  was  in  the  ministry  for  more 
than  60  years.  “His  spirit  is  fresh  and  strong,  his 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  147 

piety  pure  and  fervent,  and  his  genial  manners  make 
him  a  favorite  in  every  circle.”  Delegate  to  General 
Conference  in  1824  from  the  Virginia  Conference.  This 
shows  he  returned  to  the  ministry. 

THOMAS  ANDERSON — 1811 

Received  in  1808.  Located  1812. 

JOHN  ANDERSON— 1812 

Received  in  1808.  Located  1815. 

Not  mentioned  in  Lee’s  list  at  all. 

THOMAS  COOPER— 1813 

Received  in  1809.  Located  1816. 

PETERSBURG  AND  AMELIA  CIRCUIT 

(1814  TO  1815) 

MINTON  THRIFT— 1814 

Received  in  1812.  Located  1819. 

He  was  a  delegate  from  the  Virginia  Conference  of 
1816  to  the  General  Conference. 

After  leaving  the  active  ministry,  he  settled  in  Pe¬ 
tersburg  and  “filled  in”  for  the  local  churches.  He 
conducted  a  private  school  on  Halifax  Street,  near 
Sycamore,  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  Oak  Street 
Church  (colored).  It  is  not  known  that  he  was  born 
in  Petersburg,  but  he  loved  the  city  and  its  associa¬ 
tions,  and  at  one  time  projected  a  History  of  Peters¬ 
burg,  but  it  was  never  completed.  He  lived  in  an  old 
house  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Franklin  and  Syca¬ 
more  Streets. 


CALEB  N.  BELL— 1814 

Received  in  1809.  Located  1815. 

One  list  gives  “Ball”  and  Bangs  gives  “Bell.” 


148  THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 

HENRY  ROBINSON— 1814 

Received  in  1813.  Located  1816. 

PETERSBURG  (STATION)— 1815  TO  1923 
Thomas  Moore — 1815 

Received  in  1809.  Located  1819. 

MATTHEW  M.  DANCE— 1816 

Received  in  1812.  Located  1833. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  from 
the  Virginia  Conference  in  1816.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  the  General  Conference  from  the  Virginia  Confer¬ 
ence  in  1820. 

Secretary  of  Virginia  Conference,  1816-1821. 

WILLIAM  COMPTON— 1817 

Received  in  1809.  Located  1826. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  from 
the  Virginia  Conference  in  1820,  and  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference  of  1824. 

A  member  of  a  committee  appointed  at  Conference 
of  1825  to  “report  the  best  method  of  establishing  a 
seminary  of  learning. ”  The  outcome  was  Randolph- 
Macon  College. 

William  Compton  was  born  in  England  in  1790,  the 
son  of  Robert  Compton,  an  Episcopal  clergyman.  He 
received  his  education  in  English  schools,  and  after 
coming  to  America  and  joining  the  Methodist  min¬ 
istry,  his  learning  was  recognized,  as  is  shown  by  the 
appointments  he  received  at  the  hands  of  his  brethren. 
He  married  while  in  Petersburg,  and  there  were  six 
children  of  this  union.  Three  of  them  were  Meth¬ 
odist  ministers,  the  late  Robert  A.  Compton,  of  the 
Virginia  Conference,  being  the  youngest. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  149 


FLETCHER  HARRIS-1818 

Received  in  1813.  Died  1818. 

He  was  an  able  and  eloquent  preacher,  the  son  of 
George  Fletcher  Harris,  of  the  Caswell  Circuit,  North 
Carolina,  one  of  the  old  standbys  in  Methodist.  ‘‘He 
drew  large  crowds  after  him  whenever  he  preached; 
but  his  brilliant  sun  soon  went  down  in  death.”  “He 
was  amiable,  dignified,  of  more  than  ordinary  piety, 
eloquent  and  convincing  in  the  pulpit;  as  a  pastor,  he 
was  humble,  faithful  and  diligent.  These  qualities 
greatly  endeared  him  to  the  church  and  the  community. 
The  old  house  of  worship  became  too  small  to  hold 
the  crowds  that  flocked  to  hear  him.  A  proposition 
for  the  erection  of  a  new  church  met  with  general 
favor.  The  old  one  was  sold,  liberal  contributions 
were  made,  a  lot  wTas  bought  on  Union  Street,  and 
before  the  middle  of  the  war  the  foundation  of  a  new 
building  was  laid.  In  the  midst  of  his  usefulness  he 
was  stricken  down  by  a  fatal  illness.” 

A  more  complete  account  of  his  work  is  shown  in 
the  detailed  account  of  the  church  in  the  preceding 
pages. 

JAMES  M’ ADEN— 1819 

Received  in  1814.  Located  1829. 

Delegate  from  Virginia  Conference  to  General  Con¬ 
ference  in  1836. 

HENRY  HARDY— 1820 

Received  in  1809.  Located  1821. 

GEORGE  M.  ANDERSON— 1821 

Received  in  1818.  Died  1833. 

Put  on  a  committee  at  Conference  of  1825  to  report 
on  the  best  method  of  establishing  an  educational  in¬ 
stitution. 


150 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


HEZEKIAH  GILBERT  LEIGH— 1822-1823 

Received  1818.  Died  in  1853. 

Delegate  to  General  Conference  in  1824  and  1832 
from  Virginia  Conference. 

Hezekiah  Gilbert  Leigh,  son  of  Richard  Leigh  and 
Charlotte  Spruill,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  No¬ 
vember  23,  1795. 

An  honorable  career  might  have  been  his  at  the  bar, 
in  medicine,  or  in  the  halls  of  legislation.  For  the 
first  and  last  named  he  was  pre-eminently  fitted. 

His  splendid  physique  and  his  mental  and  spiritual 
endowments  brought  him  into  prominence,  and  so  well 
did  he  meet  the  responsibilities  of  his  position  in  all 
places  where  he  became  known  that  he  was  held  up 
by  the  laity  as  a  model  for  his  successors. 

In  1820  and  1823  Rev.  Hezekiah  G.  Leigh  was  pas¬ 
tor  of  the  church  on  Union  Street.  During  his  pas¬ 
torate  with  this  church  a  great  revival  of  religion  was 
held  by  the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  churches  in 
Petersburg  jointly,  as  a  result  of  which  200  persons 
joined  the  Methodist  Church  and  about  100  the  Pres¬ 
byterian  Church. 

To  Dr.  Leigh  more  than  any  other,  perhaps  all 
others,  is  the  church  indebted  for  the  existence  of 
Randolph-Macon  College,  with  the  stream  of  benefi¬ 
cent  influences  it  has  been  pouring  into  her  church 
life  since  it  was  founded.  Dr.  Leigh  was  its  first  pro¬ 
moter,  as  he  was  its  most  influential  and  lifelong  ad¬ 
vocate.  He  was  the  first  agent  for  that  institution 
appointed  by  the  Conference,  and  for  years  he  labored 
for  its  endowment  with  signal  success. 

“He  had  the  form,  the  face,  the  eye,  the  voice  of  an 
orator.  At  the  first  glance  you  would  say,  ‘He  is  a 
man  of  power.’  He  could  argue  with  force,  but  his 
peculiar  power  lay  in  description.  No  man  in  his  day 
could  excel  him  in  word-painting.  Perhaps  no  man 
ever  left  a  deeper  impression  on  the  hearts  of  the  peo- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  151 


pie  among  whom  he  labored.  He  was  not  simply  an 
eloquent  preacher;  he  was  a  wise,  skilful,  practical 
workman  in  the  vineyard.” 

He  died  in  his  fifty-eighth  year,  worn  out  from  his 
work  for  God’s  house,  and  the  glory  of  His  name. 

He  was  the  father  of  Dr.  H.  G.  Leigh,  Sr.,  a  steward 
of  Washington  Street  Church  for  many  years,  and  the 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  J.  W.  Hays,  one  of  its  most  valued 
members  at  the  present  time. 

GEORGE  W.  CHARLTON— 1824-1825 

Received  in  1818.  Located  1828. 

Supply  to  Petersburg  in  1855-1856-1857. 

“He  was  a  preacher  of  unusual  eloquence  and  power. 
He  was  eminently  successful  in  winning  souls  to 
Christ.” 

In  1821-2  stationed  in  Lynchburg  and  under  his 
preaching  there  was  a  powerful  revival. 

Added  to  the  “College  Committee”  in  1826. 

He  died  in  Petersburg  and  is  buried  in  Blandford 
Cemetery. 

WILLIAM  HAMETT— 1826 

Received  in  1823.  Located  1833. 

Delegate  from  Virginia  Conference  to  General  Con¬ 
ference  in  Philadelphia  in  1832.  Transferred  from 
Tennessee  to  the  Virginia  Conference.  He  was  a  na¬ 
tive  of  Ireland,  and  came  over  when  he  was  a  boy. 
“Nature  had  made  him  an  orator — she  lavished  her 
gifts  upon  him.  With  but  little  mental  training,  he 
rose  rapidly  to  a  high  position  as  a  preacher.  Per¬ 
haps  no  man  better  understood  the  art  of  pleasing  his 
hearers,  and  yet,  when  the  occasion  demanded,  no  man 
could  excel  him  in  cutting  rebuke  and  withering  sar¬ 
casm.  Ten  years  of  eminently  successful  service  he 
gave  to  the  work  in  Virginia.  He  planned  and  built 


152 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


churches,  conducted  revivals,  and  begged  money  for 
every  good  work  with  untiring  energy  and  mental 
success.” 

He  then  located  and  afterwards  served  as  chaplain 
at  University  of  Virginia  and  to  the  United  States 
Congress.  Then  he  studied  medicine  and  went  to  Mis¬ 
sissippi,  where  he  married  a  woman  of  position  and 
fortune.  Going  into  politics  he  was  elected  to  Con¬ 
gress  and  served  one  term.  The  remainder  of  his  life 
was  spent  on  his  estate,  where  he  dispensed  a  generous 
hospitality,  never  forgetting  to  extend  a  hearty  wel¬ 
come  to  Methodist  preachers. 

WILLIAM  A.  SMITH— 1827-1829-1841-1842 

Received  in  1825.  Died  in  1870. 

Bishop  Granbery  said  of  him: 

“Dr.  Smith  was  born  in  Fredericksburg,  Virginia, 
in  1802,  and  died  in  Richmond  in  March,  1870.  He 
was  one  of  the  great  men  of  Southern  Methodism,  a 
leader  in  our  Conference,  and  on  the  floor  of  the  Gen¬ 
eral  Conference  from  1832  to  1844.  He  was  a  great 
debater.  In  the  polemic  battle  in  the  General  Confer¬ 
ence  of  1844,  which  resulted  in  the  division  of  the 
church,  he  won  a  reputation  wide  as  the  United  States, 
and  inferior  to  that  of  no  minister  in  any  denomina¬ 
tion,  for  the  highest  deliberative  and  forensic  elo¬ 
quence.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Louisville  Convention 
in  1845,  which  organized  the  M.  E.  Church,  South,  and 
of  all  the  General  Conferences  of  this  Church  to  the 
day  of  his  death.  He  commanded  universal  respect 
and  confidence  among  his  brethren  by  the  sincerity  of 
his  zeal,  and  the  power  of  his  reasoning.” 

He  was  president  of  Randolph-Macon  College  for 
twenty  years. 

The  body  of  Dr.  Smith  rests  in  beautiful  Hollywood, 
Richmond.  Over  the  grave  is  a  monument  erected  by 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  153 

order  of  the  Conference  and  the  donations  of  those 
who  loved  him. 

WILLIAM  J.  WALLER— 1828 

Received  in  1825.  Located  in  1844. 

After  filling  several  appointments,  including  Peters¬ 
burg  for  one  year,  1828-29,  he  located  in  1832.  In 
1836  he  resumed  active  connection  and  served  churches 
in  Richmond,  Norfolk,  and  Portsmouth  during  the 
next  years.  He  again  located  in  1844  and  disappears 
from  the  minutes  of  the  Virginia  Conference.  The 
only  other  reference  is  a  pencil  memorandum  that 
includes  him  among  the  men  of  that  day  who  were 
still  living  in  1851. 

Bennett  gives  his  name  as  Wm.  I.  Waller  and  speaks 
of  a  revival  in  Eastern  Virginia,  where  he  preached 
“with  his  usual  zeal  and  success.” 

BENNETT  T.  BLAKE— 1830 

Received  in  1824.  Located  in  1838. 

J.  W.  Bradbury’s  notes  say  Minton  Thrift. 

Delegate  from  Virginia  Conference  to  General  Con¬ 
ference  in  Philadelphia  in  1832.  He  served  charges  in 
North  Carolina  and  Virginia  and  in  1834  became  a 
supernumerary  and  was  so  carried  in  the  minutes  till 
1838  when  his  name  disappears.  A  pencil  memoran¬ 
dum  includes  him  in  a  list  of  those  still  living  in  1851. 

DAVID  S.  DOGGETT— 1831-1835-1848-1849 

Received  in  1829.  Died  in  1880. 

He  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Va.,  January  23, 
1810.  From  1841  to  1845  he  was  a  professor  at  Ran- 
dolph-Macon  College,  then  in  Boydton.  For  eight  years 
during  the  decade  of  the  fifties  he  was  editor  of  the 
Quarterly  Review,  serving  churches  in  Richmond,  Nor¬ 
folk,  and  Washington  during  the  same  period.  He  was 


154 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


presiding  elder  of  the  Richmond  District,  1857-61,  pas¬ 
tor  of  Broad  Street,  1861-63,  pastor  of  Centenary, 
1863-66. 

He  was  several  times  a  member  of  the  General 
Conference  and  was  elected  Bishop  in  1866  in  New 
Orleans.  He  died  in  Richmond,  October  27,  1880,  and 
is  buried  in  Hollywood. 

DAVID  WOOD— 1832 

Received  in  1829.  Died  in  1851. 

He  was  born  in  Louisa  county,  Va.,  February  2, 
1808.  In  1846  he  superannuated,  but  served  the  sta¬ 
tion  at  Charlottesville  part  of  the  year  and  was  chap¬ 
lain  of  the  University  of  Virginia  a  half  session.  He 
also  took  some  work  during  the  next  two  years,  but 
was  then  inactive,  his  death  occurring  at  Port  Re¬ 
public,  Va. 

HENRY  B.  COWLES— 1833-1836-1845 

Received  in  1831.  Died  in  1874. 

Stewards’  Record  says  he  served  in  1846  also. 

He  was  born  in  Fauquier  county,  Va.,  November  2, 
1803.  His  parents  moved  later  to  Tennessee,  but  he 
returned  to  Virginia  in  1830,  and  was  that  year  li¬ 
censed  to  preach.  He  quickly  acquired  prominence  in 
the  Conference.  Much  of  his  active  ministry  was 
spent  in  the  larger  cities  of  the  state  and  in  the  pre¬ 
siding  eldership.  From  1854  to  1861  he  was  financial 
agent  for  Randolph-Macon  College.  Associated  with 
the  president,  Dr.  William  A.  Smith,  he  was  active 
in  the  effort  to  raise  an  endowment  of  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  the  college,  and  this  amount  was 
successfully  raised  in  cash  and  subscriptions  during 
his  incumbency.  Unfortunately  the  war  which  im¬ 
mediately  followed  wiped  it  out.  At  the  time,  how¬ 
ever,  it  was  perhaps  the  largest  endowment  that  had 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  155 

been  raised  for  any  college  in  the  South  by  popular 
subscription.  Member  of  General  Conferences  of  1846, 
1854  and  1862  (which  was  not  held  on  account  of  the 
war) . 

He  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Petersburg  District, 
1850-54,  and  again  in  1862-66  he  served  the  district. 
The  last  eight  years  of  his  ministry  were  in  the  pre¬ 
siding  eldership  on  the  Murfreesboro  and  Lynchburg 
Districts.  He  died  November  28,  1874,  at  the  home  of 
his  son-in-law,  Judge  E.  M.  Mann,  Petersburg. 

ABRAHAM  PENN— 1834 

Received  in  1828.  Died  in  1849. 

Abraham  Penn  (or  Abram,  as  it  appears  in  some 
of  the  records)  was  born  in  Patrick  county,  Va.,  March 
16,  1803;  he  studied  at  the  University  of  North  Caro¬ 
lina.  He  entered  upon  the  study  of  medicine,  but  the 
death  of  his  wife  changed  his  plans.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  General  Conference  of  1836,  of  the  Louisville 
Convention  (the  separation  convention  in  1845),  and 
of  the  first  general  conference  of  the  Southern  Church 
in  Petersburg  in  1846.  The  last  twelve  years  of  his 
ministry  were  in  the  presiding  eldership,  the  years 
1840-44  being  on  the  Petersburg  District. 

“He  was  eminently  successful  as  a  preacher  and  en¬ 
joyed  a  popularity  almost  unbounded.  His  talents 
were  not  of  the  highest  order,  yet  he  possessed  a  clear, 
vigorous  and  comprehensive  mind,  well  stored  with 
valuable  information.  With  a  graceful  diction,  rich 
imagination  and  great  zeal  and  earnestness  of  manner 
he  took  a  high  position  among  the  ministers  of  the 
Church.  He  was  a  devoted  son  of  Methodism,  an  un¬ 
flinching  advocate  of  her  doctrines  and  rights,  of  her 
polity  and  discipline.  The  leading  feature  of  his  char¬ 
acter  was  a  dauntless,  straightforward  honesty  that 
needed  no  disguise  for  itself,  and  was  impatient  of 
dissimulation  and  disguise  in  other  men.” 


156 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Another  preacher  of  a  type  that  would  appeal  to 
the  membership  of  old  Washington  Street  Church. 

THOMAS  CROWDER,  JR.— 1837-1838 

Received  in  1821.  Died  in  1852. 

He  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1797,  and  for  a 
while  practiced  law,  but  gave  up  his  profession.  He 
preached  for  more  than  30  years. 

“As  a  pastor  he  was  excelled  by  none ;  as  a  discipli¬ 
narian  he  was  strict  but  kind.  In  his  preaching  he 
was  close,  searching  and  practical.  Without  being 
eloquent  in  the  ordinary  sense,  his  sermons  were  usu¬ 
ally  attended  by  such  an  unction  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
were  delivered  with  such  fervor  as  to  give  them  a 
direct  path  to  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  purity  of  heart;  his  all  was  consecrated 
to  the  service  of  Christ.” 

He  was  a  delegate  to  General  Conference  in  Cincin¬ 
nati  in  1836,  and  to  the  General  Conference  in  Balti¬ 
more  in  1840  from  Virginia. 

GEORGE  MAHOOD  (SUP.)— 1838-1839 

Received  in  1828.  Died  1839. 

George  Mahood,  eldest  son  of  Alexander  and  Jane 
Mahood,  was  born  in  Loughbrickland,  County  Down, 
Ireland,  November  21,  1798.  He  came  to  Virginia 
about  1818  and  engaged  in  mission  work  among  the 
IndiansHn  Virginia  and  Ohio. 

He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Mills,  daughter  of 
Ephraim  and  Jane  Ellis,  of  Petersburg,  Virginia,  July 
12,  1821. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  Virginia  Conference  in 
1827  or  1828. 

He  died  November  22,  1839,  at  the  Anderson  Semi¬ 
nary,  Petersburg,  Virginia,  and  was  buried  in  Bland- 
ford  Cemetery,  Petersburg,  Virginia. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  157 

It  is  thought  that  George  Mahood  joined  Washing¬ 
ton  Street  Church  shortly  after  his  coming  to  Amer¬ 
ica  ;  we  do  not  know  whether  he  was  pastor  of  this 
church  or  not,  but  the  Conference  Annuals  should 
show. 

The  minutes  of  the  Annual  Conference  of  the  Meth¬ 
odist  Church  for  the  years  1829  and  1830  show  that 
for  these  years  he  filled  charges  in  Mecklenburg  and 
in  Sussex,  respectively.  These  are  the  only  minutes 
in  our  possession  of  the  period  covered  by  his  min¬ 
istry. 

ANTHONY  DIBRELL— 1839-1840-1852-1853 

Received  in  1830.  Died  1855. 

He  was  born  in  Buckingham  county,  Va.,  August 
19,  1805,  studied  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
studied  law  at  Staunton,  Va.,  and  practiced  in  Lynch¬ 
burg  for  about  twelve  months.  He  was  converted  under 
the  Rev.  William  A.  Smith,  and  served  important 
charges  and  was  in  eldership  for  two  short  terms.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Louisville  Convention  and  of 
the  General  Conferences  of  1846,  1850  and  1854.  His 
last  appointment  was  to  Granby  Street,  Norfolk,  a 
charge  especially  trying  for  him  at  that  time,  and  he 
died  there  of  yellow  fever. 

JAMES  D.  COULLING— 1840 

Received  in  1836.  Died  1866. 

Probably  son  of  James  Coulling,  who  had  charge  of 
the  first  Methodist  Church  in  Richmond. 

Secretary  of  Virginia  Conference,  1850-1859. 

He  was  born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  May  20,  1812.  He 
served  as  presiding  elder  of  the  Norfolk,  Charlottes¬ 
ville  and  Richmond  Districts.  He  served  High  Street, 
Petersburg,  1855-57.  In  1865  he  was  elected  presi¬ 
dent  of  Wesleyan  Female  College,  going  to  that  office 


158 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


from  the  presiding  eldership  of  the  Richmond  District, 
which  he  had  occupied  during  practically  the  entire 
period  of  the  war. 

BLASINGAME  H.  JOHNSON— 1841 

Received  in  1838.  Died  1872. 

He  was  born  in  Charlotte  county,  Va.,  in  1811.  In 
the  memoir  read  at  the  Conference  of  1872  it 
is  said:  “For  thirty-four  successive  years  he  was  ac¬ 
tively,  industriously  and  successfully  engaged  in  the 
duties  of  a  preacher  of  the  gospel— filling  the  position 
of  pastor,  agent,  and  presiding  elder  with  acceptability 
and  efficiency.” 

His  experience  as  a  presiding  elder  was  on  the  Char¬ 
lottesville  District,  and  the  agency  was  for  the  Mur¬ 
freesboro  Female  College  (N.  C.)  “In  person  he  was 
five  feet  six  inches  high,  and  rather  inclined  to  be 
fleshy;  so  florid  in  complexion  as  to  be  sometimes  joked 
about  his  ‘topaz  nose/  which  was  somewhat  roman  in 
shape/’ 


JOSEPH  CARSON— 1842-1843 

Received  in  1805.  Located  in  1812. 

This  is  the  only  Joseph  Carson  given  by  Bangs  in 
his  list. 

Possibly  Joseph  Carson  returned  to  ministry  in  later 
years  as  a  help  to  W.  A.  Smith  and  Edward  Wads¬ 
worth. 

He  was  born  in  Winchester,  Virginia,  in  1785.  He 
was  originally  admitted  to  the  Baltimore  Conference, 
but  for  a  long  time  identified  with  the  Virginia  Con¬ 
ference  He  was  first  sent  to  Pennsylvania,  where  in 
the  first  year  he  had  over  600  converts.  “Perhaps  no 
man  now  living  has  seen  more  of  the  wonderful  works 
of  God  in  the  fields  of  Methodism  than  he;  and  but 
few  have  been  more  highly  honored  of  Christ  as  a  suc¬ 
cessful  preacher.  Thousands  of  souls  have  been 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  159 

brought  to  God  through  his  instrumentality;  happy 
multitudes  await  his  coming  to  the  heavenly  Canaan, 
who  will  hail  him  as  their  spiritual  father.” 

He  was  then  sent  to  Western  Virginia,  where  he 
spent  most  of  his  life. 

In  1845-46  his  appointment  as  “Petersburg,  colored 
congregation.”  He  served  twelve  years  in  the  pre¬ 
siding  eldership,  not  consecutively.  He  was  superan¬ 
nuated  in  1867,  and  died  in  Culpeper  April  15,  1875, 
at  the  age  of  ninety. 

EDWARD  L.  WADSWORTH— 1843-1844 

Received  in  1832.  Died  1883. 

He  was  born  at  New  Berne,  N.  C.,  August  28,  1811. 
For  a  time  he  was  both  a  student  of  Randolph-Macon 
College  and  its  chaplain.  He  was  made  an  A.  B.  in 
1841  and  an  A.  M.  in  1844.  In  1847  Randolph-Macon 
and  Emory  and  Henry  simultaneously  conferred  on 
him  the  D.  D.  In  1846  he  was  elected  president  of 
LaGrange  College,  succeeding  Bishop  Paine,  and  was 
transferred  to  the  Tennessee  Conference.  After  six 
years  as  president  he  was  made  pastor  of  McKendree 
Church,  Nashville,  which  he  served,  1852-53.  He  then 
became  professor  of  English  in  Nashville  University 
and  chairman  of  the  faculty.  After  two  years  in  this 
position  he  was  transferred  to  the  Alabama  Conference 
and  served  two  years  at  Greensboro  and  two  at  Selma. 
He  was  elected  professor  of  moral  philosophy  in  the 
new  Southern  University  at  Greensboro,  and  was  in 
that  chair  from  the  opening  of  the  college  in  1859  until 
1870,  when  he  returned  to  the  pastorate.  He  served 
four  years  at  Montgomery,  four  years  at  Franklin 
Street,  Mobile,  and  was  serving  his  second  year  as 
presiding  elder  of  the  Mobile  District  when  paralyzed. 


160 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


WASHINGTON  STREET— 1845  to  1848 
George  W.  Langhorne — 1846-1847-1854-1855 

Received  in  1830.  Died  1876. 

Stewards’  record  gives  H.  B.  Cowles  in  1846. 
George  Washington  Langhorne  was  the  son  of  Mau¬ 
rice  and  Patsy  Holladay  Langhorne  and  was  born  on 
November  27,  1808. 

He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Watters  Moore,  of  Pitts- 
borough,  Chatham  county,  North  Carolina,  on  January 
29,  1835. 

He  died  at  the  residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Stephen 
Putney,  Richmond,  Va. 

He  was  about  five  feet  seven  or  eight  inches,  His 
hair  was  dark.  He  never  rode  a  circuit  but  one  year. 
Was  considered  the  orator  of  the  Virginia  Conference. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  beloved  men  in  the  connection. 

WASHINGTON  STREET  AND  UNION  STREET- 

1848  to  1849 
D.  S.  Doggett — 1848 

Stewards’  records  gives  G.  W.  Langhorne  in  1848. 

WASHINGTON  STREET— 1849  to  1850 

D.  S.  Doggett 

WASHINGTON  STREET  AND  WESLEY  CHAPEL, 

1850  to  1854 

Nelson  Head — 1850-1851 
Received  in  1834.  Died  1902. 

He  was  born  in  Leesburg,  Va.,  February  3,  1811. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Baltimore  Conference  in  1834. 
In  1838  he  transferred  to  the  Virginia  Conference,  but 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  161 

went  back  to  the  Baltimore  Conference  after  two 
years.  When  the  separation  came  he  adhered  to  the 
Southern  Church  and  became  a  member  of  the  Vir¬ 
ginia  Conference.  He  occupied  stations  fn  Virginia 
cities  except  for  two  years  at  Farmville  and  four  years 
on  the  Farmville  District.  In  1868,  at  the  completion 
of  a  second  pastorate  at  Centenary,  Richmond,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  Baltimore  Conference,  serving  till 
that  conference  met,  as  agent  of  Randolph-Macon  Col¬ 
lege.  For  eighteen  years  he  was  in  the  active  work, 
four  years  of  that  time  on  the  Washington  District 
and  four  years  on  the  Winchester  District.  He  died 
at  Leesburg,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one.  He  was  a  dele¬ 
gate  to  the  General  Conference  of  1886. 

JOHN  E.  EDWARDS— 1 856-1857 

Received  in  1835.  Died  1886. 

Served  in  Petersburg  1856  and  1857.  Market  Street 
Church  established  by  him.  Trinity,  Centenary  and 
Park  Place  in  Richmond  were  either  built  or  com¬ 
pleted  under  his  pastorate;  also  Mt.  Vernon  in  Dan¬ 
ville. 

He  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1814.  He  spent 
51  years  in  the  pastorate,  mostly  in  the  larger  cities 
of  Virginia.  Delegate  to  every  General  Conference 
from  1858.  Received  his  education  at  Randolph- 
Macon  College.  “Dr.  Edwards  bears  a  body  of  the 
build  of  John  Wesley,  with  like  toughness  in  fibre  and 
elasticity  in  nerve.  He  was  one  of  the  first  preachers 
of  his  day  who  dared  to  wear  a  swallow  tail  coat. 

In  preparation  he  used  the  pen,  writing  some  ser¬ 
mons  to  the  last  letter.  He  never  memorizes.  He  is 
usually  felicitous  in  off  hand  speeches  at  banquets,  or 
on  the  floor  of  Conferences.  His  utterance  is  very 
rapid.  His  voice  has  the  piping  key  of  John  Ran¬ 
dolph,  vibratory  and  arrowy,  with  the  motion  and 
swiftness  of  the  swallow.  There  is  something  in  it 


162 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


like  the  metallic  note  from  the  string  of  finest  wire  in 
the  harp,  softened  by  the  dulcet  breathings  of  the 
flageolet. 

His  record  as  a  model  pastor  is  widely  known.  His 
personal  intercourse  enlists  troops  of  friends,  for  he 
has  great  adaptability — the  right  word  in  the  right 
place.  His  inimitable  stories  have  peculiar  attraction 
for  a  general  company.” 

He  was  a  popular  preacher,  but  was  probably  a  bet¬ 
ter  writer  than  speaker.  He  was  the  author  of 
“Travels  in  Europe,”  “The  Confederate  Soldier,”  the 
“Log  Meeting  House”  and  many  other  pamphlets  and 
works,  as  well  as  contributor  to  church  periodicals. 

A  man  of  great  constructive  energy  and  persuasive¬ 
ness,  he  aroused  enthusiasm  in  church  work.  His  per¬ 
sonality  was  most  attractive  and  his  work  highly  suc¬ 
cessful. 


ROBERT  MICHAELS— 1858-1859 

Received  in  1836.  Died  1883. 

He  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1812,  of  German  descent. 
Lafferty  says  of  him:  “He  expounds  clearly  and  with 
unction,  rising  at  times  to  thrilling  and  mastering 
eloquence.  There  has  never  been  a  trace  of  ambition 
in  his  career.  He  followed  the  injunction:  In  honor 
preferring  one  another.  His  Conference  made  him  a 
representative  to  the  General  Conference.  The  Bishops 
used  him  in  cities,  on  districts,  in  circuits.  He  is  en¬ 
shrined  in  the  affection  of  his  brethren.” 

JOHN  B.  LAURENS  (Supply)— 1859-1860 

Supply  to  Robt.  Michaels,  1859. 

Supply  to  Chas.  H.  Hall,  1860. 

Supply  to  Chas.  C.  Pearson,  1865. 

Supply  to  Chas.  C.  Pearson,  1870-1871. 

He  was  an  itinerant  minister  for  many  years.  His 
health  was  such  that  he  had  to  retire  from  the  active 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  163 


field  and  he  assisted  in  the  publication  of  the  “Advo¬ 
cate.”  He  started  the  organization  of  the  “Rosebuds,” 
which  was  mainly  conducted  under  the  name  of  “Uncle 
Larry”  from  the  “Advocate.” 

CHARLES  H.  HALL— 1860-1861,  1868-1869, 

1870-1871 

Received  in  1853.  Died  1872. 

He  was  born  in  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  April 
18,  1831,  and  was  converted  in  his  thirteenth  year  and 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

He  became  a  student  of  Randolph-Macon  College  and 
graduated  with  high  distinction  in  1853. 

At  the  session  of  the  Conference  held  in  Danville 
he  asked  for  and  was  granted  a  certificate  of  location. 
In  a  short  time  after  his  location  he  was  called  to 
Trinity  Independent  Methodist  Church,  Baltimore, 
Md.,  where  he  remained  three  years  and  contributed 
much  to  bringing  that  church  into  Southern  Meth¬ 
odism. 

At  the  close  of  his  third  year  at  Trinity  he  resigned 
and  again  entered  the  Virginia  Conference  and  was 
stationed  for  the  second  time  at  Washington  Street 
Church,  Petersburg,  Virginia,  1868. 

In  the  latter  city  and  as  pastor  of  the  same  church 
to  which  he  had  before  ministered  he  spent  the  last 
four  years  of  his  life.  “His  charge  was  the  largest  per¬ 
haps  of  any  in  the  city  (to  quote  from  one  of  the  news¬ 
papers  at  that  time).  To  its  development  he  gave  a 
measure  of  zeal  rarely  equaled  and  perhaps  never  sur¬ 
passed.  From  the  beginning  of  his  last  entrance  upon 
his  field  to  the  close  of  his  labors,  he  displayed  such  an 
ever  increasing  measure  of  intellectual  force  in  his 
pulpit  ministrations  as  to  arrest  the  attention  and  ex¬ 
cite  the  interest  of  the  whole  community.  Rarely  has 
it  fallen  to  the  fortunes  of  any  minister  in  the  same 


164 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


space  of  time  to  gather  to  himself  such  universal  ad¬ 
miration,  esteem  and  affection  as  Charles  H.  Hall  en¬ 
joyed  from  the  citizens  of  Petersburg.  Nature  had 
endowed  him  with  rare  gifts  and  such  was  the  fidelity 
with  which  he  had  improved  them  and  the  refining 
power  of  Divine  grace  upon  them  that  he  rapidly  rose 
to  distinction  and  took  position  by  public  suffrage  as 
well  as  that  of  h's  own  church,  among  the  ablest  minis¬ 
ters  of  our  State. 

He  was  a  most  diligent  and  faithful  pastor,  a  con¬ 
stant  student,  a  hard  self  sacrificing  worker.  Men 
would  say — he  was  the  most  powerful  preacher  they 
had  ever  heard.  His  sermons  were  marked  by  a  depth 
and  independence  of  thought,  by  such  varied  research, 
by  such  simplicity  and  earnestness  of  manner,  by  such 
a  chaste  and  forceful  style  and  by  such  unction  and 
persuasiveness  as  to  attract  to  his  ministry  all  classes 
and  elicit  from  them  the  highest  commendation. 

In  his  social  intercourse  he  displayed  such  urbanity, 
gentle  dignity,  broad  charity,  and  earnestness  of  spirit, 
as  to  win  and  retain,  not  simply  the  administration, 
but  the  warmest  affections  of  his  people. 

Such  in  a  word  was  the  influence  of  his  character 
among  all  classes  that  “none  named  him  but  to  praise.” 
He  was  recognized  as  a  man  of  God,  of  one  purpose,  of 
one  work,  the  friend  of  the  poor  and  the  people’s  ser¬ 
vant  for  Christ’s  sake. 

A  few  minutes  before  dying  he  left  the  following 
messages  which  are  given  as  nearly  as  possible  in  his 
own  language.  First  to  the  churches — “The  Lord  bless 
my  church  and  bless  Market  Street  and  High  Street 
Churches  and  give  them  the  spirit  of  unity,  and  bless 
all  the  churches  and  make  them  a  mighty  power  in  His 
cause  through  the  blessed  Savior.  Second,  to  the  Con¬ 
ference — “The  Lord  bless  and  keep  them,  be  gracious 
to  them,  and  strengthen  their  hands  for  His  work  and 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  165 

crown  them  with  His  favor  and  bring  them  to  His  rest 
through  the  blessed  Savior.” 

His  funeral  services  were  conducted  in  his  Church 
by  Bishop  D.  S.  Dogget— and  were  attended  by  nearly 
two  thousand  people  all  classes  uniting  to  testify  their 
sense  of  the  loss  society  at  large  as  well  as  his  own 
church  had  sustained  by  his  death. 

WM.  H.  WHEELWRIGHT— 1862-1863 

Received  in - .  Died  1879. 

He  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Va.,  in  1824. 
He  was  noted  for  his  courage,  energy,  sincerity  and 
frankness.  When  the  War  Between  the  States  began, 
he  entered  the  Confederate  army  and  attained  the 
rank  of  major,  Twenty-sixth  Regiment,  Virginia  Vol¬ 
unteers.  Being  a  graduate  of  V.  M.  I.,  he  was  selected 
as  an  officer.  Later,  when  the  officers  were  elected, 
he  resigned  his  appointment  and  re-entered  the  minis¬ 
try  as  pastor  of  Washington  Street  Church.  At  the 
end  of  his  term,  he  re-entered  the  army  as  chaplain 
of  the  Ninth  Virginia  Cavalry,  continuing  in  this  ser¬ 
vice  until  the  end  of  the  war. 

After  the  conflict,  he  continued  as  a  preacher  and 
teacher,  in  Warren  county,  Va.,  until  his  health  broke 
down  from  his  labors. 

THOMAS  H.  EARLY  (Supply),  1862-1863 

Received  in  1857.  Located  in  1866. 

He  wTas  a  son  of  Bishop  John  Early,  and. descended 
from  Virginia  Colonial  stock.  Having  received  a  splen¬ 
did  education  at  Randolph-Macon  College  and  Tran¬ 
sylvania  University,  he  first  began  the  practice  of  law 
and  then  went  into  the  ministry.  He  contracted  throat 
trouble  due  to  his  labors  in  Confederate  hospitals  and 
was  forced  to  retire,  taking  up  his  residence  in  Lynch¬ 
burg.  He  died  in  1904.  “Highly  intellectual  and  gifted 


166 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


beyond  the  common  run  of  men,  and  having  the  ca¬ 
pacity  to  reap  rich  temporal  rewards,  Mr.  Early’s  life 
is  best  summed  up  in  the  statement  that  it  was  one 
of  lifelong  devotion  to  the  service  of  others.” 

CHARLES  C.  PEARSON— 1864-1865. 

Received  in  1853.  Located  in  1870. 

After  serving  a  number  of  city  charges,  the  last  of 
which  was  Danville,  1868-70,  his  name  disappears  en¬ 
tirely  from  the  Virginia  Conference  roll  and  the  min¬ 
utes  of  that  year  seem  silent  on  the  subject.  It  is 
reported  that  he  joined  the  Episcopal  Church. 

JAMES  A.  DUNCAN— 1866-1867 

Received  in  1849.  Died  1877. 

Dr.  Duncan  was  born  in  Norfolk,  Va.,  in  1830,  and 
died  in  Ashland,  Va.,  in  the  forty-seventh  year  of  his 
age.  He  graduated  in  1852  at  Randolph-Macon  Col¬ 
lege,  Boydton,  Va.,  taking  his  A.  M.  degree,  and  was 
received  into  the  ministry.  After  several  years  of 
service  in  the  northern  parts  of  Virginia,  he  was  sent 
to  Trinity  Church  in  Richmond  in  1857.  From  that 
time  he  became  one  of  the  leading  preachers  in  the 
Virginia  Conference.  He  became  noted  as  one  of  the 
foremost  pulpit  orators  of  the  South.  Then  under  his 
direction  Broad  Street  Church  was  built  and  he  was 
its  pastor,  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  from  1861 
until  1866.  “All  this  time  his  influence  widened  and 
deepened.  He  was  a  power  in  the  city  when  Richmond 
became  the  capital  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  was 
crowded  with  representatives  from  all  parts  of  the 
South,  his  faithful,  spiritual,  eloquent  preaching  en¬ 
tranced,  edified,  encouraged  and  impressed  with  a 
saving  efficacy  an  untold  multitude  whose  number 
eternity  must  reveal.  No  man  in  our  day  has  accom¬ 
plished  more  for  Methodism  or  for  the  cause  of  Christ 
in  the  capital  of  Virginia  than  James  A.  Duncan.” 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  167 


Another  writer  says:  “During  these  wonderful  years, 
Dr.  Duncan  reached  the  highest  pitch  of  his  trans¬ 
cendent  power  and  multitudes  came  to  hear  him.  Jef¬ 
ferson  Davis,  the  honored  President  of  the  Confed¬ 
eracy,  though  an  Episcopalian,  was  a  frequent  visitor 
at  Broad  Street  Church,  as  was  also  General  Robert 
E.  Lee  and  other  noted  men  of  that  time,  both  in  civic 
and  military  life” 

For  several  years  (1860  to  1866)  he  edited  the 
Richmond  Christian  Advocate  with  great  success. 

Then  he  came  to  Washington  Street  Church,  which 
he  served  for  two  years.  Some  of  the  older  men  of 
the  church  still  tell  of  his  wonderful  eloquence  and  of 
his  personal  charm. 

While  pastor  of  this  church  he  was  elected  presi¬ 
dent  of  Randolph-Macon  College,  which  had  been 
moved  from  Bovdton  to  Ashland,  Va.  Such  was  his 
influence  and  popularity  that  he  carried  the  old  col¬ 
lege  successfully  through  this  critical  period  and  gave 
it  a  standing  among  the  foremost  colleges  of  the  land. 

Bishop  Granbery  said  of  him:  “He  had  every  physi¬ 
cal  advantage — grace  of  attitude  and  gesture,  a  voice 
which  everybody  likened  in  sweetness,  richness  and 
compass  to  the  organ,  and,  we  must  add,  to  the  organ 
when  struck  by  a  master  musician,  for  he  had  his 
voice  under  perfect  command,  and  moderated  it  to  con¬ 
vey  the  fullest  variety  of  pure  and  worthy  sentiment; 
a  countenance  on  which  one  loved  to  gaze,  handsome 
in  repose,  lovely  when  lit  up  by  the  noble  thoughts  and 
feelings  of  his  great  soul.  He  had  every  intellectual 
and  moral  advantage;  a  ready  flow  of  happy  diction, 
which  seemed  perfectly  spontaneous,  and  yet  exactly 
suited  the  thought;  a  playful  humor,  and,  when  needed, 
keenness  of  wit  and  satire  which  added  zest  to  his 
serious  speech,  but  detracted  not  from  its  weight;  a 
quick  insight  into  the  heart  of  a  subject,  judgment  re¬ 
markably  sound,  the  logical  spirit  without  slavery  to 


168 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


logical  forms,  and  an  imagination  which  could  sport 
like  a  butterfly  amid  flowers,  or  soar  like  an  eagle 
beyond  the  clouds;  sensibility  delicate,  deep,  strong — 
acute  sympathy  with  his  fellow-man ;  a  response  in  his 
feelings  to  everything  true,  pure,  generous  and  grand. 

THOMAS  S.  CAMPBELL,  Supply 

To  Jas.  A.  Duncan  in  1867. 

To  Chas.  H.  Hall  in  1868  and  1869. 

WILLIAM  W.  DUNCAN— 1872-1873-1874-1875 

Received  in  1859.  Died  1908. 

William  Wallace  Duncan,  born  December  20,  1839, 
at  Randolph-Macon  College,  Mecklenburg  county,  Va., 
was  the  third  son  of  Professor  David  Duncan,  who  was 
a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Scotland,  and  who 
came  to  this  country  from  Ireland,  his  native  home, 
in  early  youth.  At  the  time  of  the  birth  of  William 
Wallace,  Professor  Duncan  was  a  member  of  the  fac¬ 
ulty  of  Randolph-Macon  College,  where  he  served 
faithfully  for  many  years,  until  1854,  when  he  ac¬ 
cepted  the  chair  of  Greek  and  Latin  in  Wofford  Col¬ 
lege.  The  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  came  with 
him.  His  education  had  been  started  at  Randolph- 
Macon  and  he  entered  the  freshman  class  of  Wofford 
as  soon  as  the  family  reached  Spartanburg. 

In  1858  he  graduated  from  Wofford  in  the  first  class 
of  young  men  that  the  grand  old  institution  sent  out 
into  the  world.  Soon  after  his  graduation  he  returned 
to  his  native  state.  He  felt  deeply  that  he  was  called 
to  preach,  so  he  received  license  and  entered  the  Vir¬ 
ginia  Conference  in  1859.  He  was  stationed  in  Lees¬ 
burg,  Danville,  Norfolk  and  Petersburg.  At  all  these 
posts  he  met  with  unbounded  success,  preaching  with 
increasing  power  and  doing  fine,  systematic  pastoral 
work.  Elected  to  chair  of  mental  and  moral  science 
in  Wofford  College  in  1875  when  he  left  Petersburg. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  169 

He  was  a  Christian  patriot,  for  when  “wild  war’s 
deadly  blast  was  blown”  he  donned  the  gray  and,  bid¬ 
ding  good-bye  to  his  fair  young  bride,  became  a  chap¬ 
lain  in  the  Confederate  army.  He  served  with  heroic 
devotion  through  the  four  long  years  of  strife,  speak¬ 
ing  peace  and  comfort  to  many  a  dying  soldier,  and 
preaching  inspiring  sermons  that  cheered  the  worn 
veterans  in  gray  in  their  hours  of  sorest  need.  He 
served  both  in  Virginia  and  South  Carolina. 

He  was  elected  to  the  General  Conferences  of  1878, 
1882  and  1886,  being  chairman  of  the  delegation  in 
the  year  last  named.  In  1881  he  was  one  of  the  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  his  church  at  the  great  Ecumenical  Con¬ 
ference  held  in  London,  England,  and  there  he  served 
with  distinguished  ability. 

In  1886  he  was  elected  Bishop  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  South,  being  the  first  of  four  then 
chosen.  From  the  day  of  his  election  up  to  a  short 
time  ago  he  has  been  abundant  in  his  Episcopal  labors 
all  over  the  Church,  visiting  all  the  home  fields  and 
the  foreign  conferences  in  Mexico  and  other  places. 
He  was  easily  the  peer  of  his  able  colleagues,  and  his 
constant  labors  have  been  of  immeasurable  benefit  to 
his  church  and  to  Christianity. 

“Throughout  all  this  Southern  land  there  will  be 
those  who  will  at  this  time  think  not  so  much  of  the 
great  churchman  and  the  educational  leader  as  of  the 
generous  friend  and  helper.  Bishop  Duncan  had  that 
rare  capacity  of  making  friends  with  links  of  steel. 
He  was  so  tender,  so  considerate  to  all  who  suffered 
or  were  bearing  heavily  the  burdens  of  the  world. 
Back  of  those  arrows  of  sarcasm  and  lightning  flashes 
of  that  keen  wit  of  his  was  a  heart  as  soft  and  as 
gentle  as  the  heart  of  a  mother.  And  many  an  humble 
preacher  on  remote  circuits  will  join  with  all  those 


170 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


who  know  from  experience  the  quality  of  Bishop  Dun¬ 
can’s  friendship  in  the  feeling  that  the  world  is  now 
poorer  for  his  having  left  it.” 

JOSEPH  H.  RIDDICK— 1876-1877-1878-1879 

Received  in  1854.  Died  1901. 

He  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  the  son  of  Christian 
parents,  who  reared  him  “in  the  nurture  and  admo¬ 
nition  of  the  Lord,”  and  whose  Godly  example  and 
counsel  led  him  to  the  Saviour  “in  the  days  of  his 
youth.”  He  was  always  the  conscious  subject  of  deep 
religious  impressions,  which  finally  ripened  into  a  clear 
and  thorough  conversion  while  a  student  of  Randolph- 
Macon  College. 

It  was  at  this  institution  he  was  educated,  called 
to  the  ministry,  and  first  licensed  to  preach.  He  was 
supernumerary  several  years,  and  was  employed  most 
of  that  period  as  professor  of  mathematics  and  ancient 
languages  at  the  Kittrell  Springs  Female  College,  then 
owned  and  conducted  by  his  brother,  Rev.  C.  B. 
Riddick. 

Both  in  the  active  and  supernumerary  relation  to 
the  Conference,  one  striking  peculiarity  has  constantly 
characterized  his  ministry.  Most  gracious  and  power¬ 
ful  revivals  of  religion,  resulting  in  the  conversion  of 
very  many  sinners  and  the  edification  of  the  church, 
have  attended  his  plain  and  earnest  proclamation  of 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  a  great  multude,  saved  by  his 
instrumentality,  will  rise  to  greet  him  in  the  resurrec¬ 
tion  morning,  and  to  bless  him  “in  the  bright  forever.” 

JOHN  D.  BLACKWELL,  D.  D.— 1880-1881-1882-1883 

Received  in  1846.  Died  1887. 

He  was  a  graduate  of  Dickinson  College,  and  served 
as  pastor  and  as  presiding  elder.  Though  frequently 
solicited  to  leave  the  active  ministry  and  go  into  teach- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  171 


ing,  he  spent  all  his  life  in  the  active  ministry.  He 
was  twice  asked  to  become  president  of  Randolph- 
Macon  College. 

Dr.  Blackwell  inherited  a  rich  dowry — character, 
sound  mind  and  Methodism.  God  nournished  his  soul, 
and  he  himself  has  never  allowed  his  natural  parts  to 
lie  fallow.  His  religious  proclivities  have  compounded 
in  intensity.  He  has  been  a  man  of  thought  and  books. 
He  is,  without  controversy,  if  not  the  first,  the  equal 
of  any  as  an  expounder  of  the  word  of  God.  He  has 
held  all  positions  but  the  Bishopric. 

SAMUEL  S.  LAMBETH— 1884-1885-1886 

Received  in  1857. 

He  was  born  Feb.  1,  1838,  a  native  of  Richmond, 
Virginia.  His  gifts  called  him  to  the  chief  churches  in 
the  Virginia  Conference.  Says  Lafferty:  “Dr.  Lambeth 
is  endowed  with  rare  and  quick  parts  and  excels  in  the 
versatility  of  his  genius.  His  gift  in  public  prayers  is 
exceptional.  The  colleges  call  for  him  to  address  their 
graduates ;  his  sermons  are  often  gems,  and  the  Con¬ 
ference  conscripts  him  for  service  as  a  superior  scribe. 

The  pulpit,  however,  is  the  throne  of  his  power.  He 
prepares  his  discourses  with  assiduity  and  taste.  They 
are  delivered  in  voice  tuneful,  resonant  and  clear  as 
silver  bells  smitten  by  mallet  of  velvet.” 

Dr.  Lambeth  was  a  most  popular  preacher,  not  only 
with  the  membership  of  the  church,  but  in  the  com¬ 
munity  as  well.  He  was  a  good  counsellor  and  his 
advice  was  sought  by  many  outside  of  his  own  church. 
He  took  a  great  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  com- 
munitv. 

i/ 

ROBERT  NEWTON  SLEDD— 1887-1888 

Received  in  1857.  Died  1899. 

Born  in  Powhatan  County,  Virginia  in  1833.  Con¬ 
verted  at  Randolph-Macon  College,  the  year  of  his 


172 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


graduation  1855.  He  was  Presiding  Elder  for  two 
years  and  three  years  Editor  of  the  Theological  and 
Homiletical  monthly.  Member  of  three  successive 
General  Conferences. 

He  was  a  forcible  speaker,  marshalling  his  facts 
with  logical  precision  and  at  times  with  vigor,  and  his 
services  were  much  sought  by  the  more  influential 
pastorates.  He  was  splendidly  educated  and  his  ser¬ 
mons  and  writings  show  his  superior  literary  training. 

He  was  tall  and  thin,  not  given  to  much  talking  and 
rather  held  himself  aloof  from  general  conversations. 
Without  having  the  qualities  that  would  make  him 
popular  his  ability  was  recognized  everywhere  and  it 
was  a  pleasure  to  a  cultured  audience,  such  as  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  Church  possessed,  to  hear  his  logically 
arranged  and  thoroughly  clear  and  coherent  sermons. 

WILLIAM  E.  EVANS— 1889 

Received  in  1876. 

He  was  born  July  11,  1851.  He  only  served  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  one  year,  but  in  that  time  he  acquired 
great  influence  with  the  membership.  He  was  popular 
in  every  Circuit.  He  was  of  moderate  height  and 
handsome  features.  His  sermons  were  beautiful,  but 
he  was  more  of  a  teacher  than  an  orator.  He  was 
taken  ill  while  in  Petersburg,  and  therefore  did  not 
come  back  the  second  year.  Afterwards  he  joined 
the  Episcopal  church. 

ADAM  C.  BLEDSOE— 1889-1891-1892-1893 

Received  in  1868.  Died  1896. 

He  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1839,  the  son  of  Meth¬ 
odist  parents,  and  educated  at  a  Methodist  College. 
He  was  a  large  man  with  a  voice  of  much  richness 
and  tenderness.  He  was  popular  as  a  preacher ;  also 
as  a  pastor,  and  served  in  the  cities  of  Virginia.  He 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  173 

was  a  Chaplain  in  the  Confederate  Army  during  the 
war  between  the  States. 

WM.  G.  STARR,  D.  D.— 1894-1895-1903-1904-1905 

Received  in  1860. 

Dr.  Starr  should  be  listed  along  with  the  Rev.  Chas. 
H.  Hall,  Dr.  Lambeth  and  Wm.  W.  Duncan  as  being 
among  the  most  popular  preachers  who  ever  served 
Washington  Street  Church.  He  was  a  thin,  active, 
quick  stepping,  wiry  and  nervous  man,  of  the  average 
height,  who  bore  himself  as  a  man  of  independence 
and  courage,  both  in  and  out  of  the  pulpit,  and  his 
appearance  did  not  belie  his  character.  He  was  in¬ 
dependent  in  thought,  bold  in  his  expression,  and  en¬ 
ergetic  in  the  execution  of  what  he  thought  was  right. 

As  a  preacher  he  was  a  most  original  talker,  was 
dramatic  in  his  utterances  and  gestures  at  times;  in 
fact  it  was  commonly  reported  that  he  had  at  one  time 
studied  for  the  stage.  His  voice  was  pleasant  and 
piercing  but  very  rapid ;  his  phraseology  was  beautiful. 

He  was  welcomed  everywhere  in  Petersburg  in  the 
homes  and  in  the  public  meetings  of  the  citizenry  of 
the  town.  He  preached  to  crowded  houses  and  his 
audiences  were  always  attentive,  listening  tensely  that 
they  might  not  lose  the  thread  of  his  thought. 

He  was  a  good  pastor  and  active  in  his  work.  Very 
probably  his  chief  characteristic  was  his  loyalty  to 
his  friends  and  this  brought  around  him  men  of  the 
same  type  who  felt  great  deprivation  when  he  was 
taken  away  by  the  exigencies  of  the  itinerant  min¬ 
istry. 

Dr.  Starr  was  born  in  1840,  and  graduated  at  Ran- 
dolph-Macon  College  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  He  served 
through  the  War  Between  the  States,  first  as  chaplain, 
and  then  commanded  a  company..  Captain  Starr  was 
complimented  on  several  occasions  for  his  bravery. 


174 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


He  was  elected  president  of  Randolph-Macon  Col¬ 
lege  in  1899,  but  resigned  in  1902,  and  was  reappointed 
to  Petersburg,  serving  Washington  Street  for  the  next 
three  years. 

Dr.  Starr  was  one  of  the  most  accomplished  preach¬ 
ers  and  teachers  of  his  day  and  generation.  He  was  a 
scholar,  a  gifted  writer,  a  pulpit  orator,  a  master  of 
the  English  language,  and  an  ideal  pastor. 

WM.  E.  EDWARDS,  D.  D.— 1896-1897 

Received  in  1862.  Died  1903. 

He  was  the  son  of  John  E.  Edwards,  whom  he  re¬ 
sembled  very  much,  although  somewhat  slighter  in 
stature.  His  health  was  never  very  good,  but  he  never 
let  it  interfere  with  his  study  or  service.  He  was 
a  Chaplain  in  the  Confederate  Army  from  1863  to 
1865.  He  held  several  successful  revivals  prior  to  his 
service  at  Washington  Street  Church,  and  was  much 
beloved  by  the  members  of  churches  where  he  was 
stationed. 

He  was  a  writer  as  well  as  speaker  and  both  his 
writings  and  his  speeches  show  ability,  philosophy 
and  imagination.  He  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  moral 
philosophy  and  Biblical  literature  in  Randolph-Macon 
College  in  1899. 

GEORGE  W.  WRAY— 1898-1899 

Received  in  1877. 

He  was  born  in  1853.  He  is  a  tall  man,  with  a 
graceful  carriage,  and  pleasant  voice ;  there  was  noth¬ 
ing  sensational  about  his  preaching,  but  his  discourses 
were  well  considered  and  well  delivered.  He  made 
many  friends,  and  the  church  held  its  own  during 
his  pastorate. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  175 
% 

BERNARD  F.  LIPSCOMB,  D.  D.-— 1900-1901-1902 

Received  in  1876. 

He  was  born  in  1851,  a  native  of  Richmond,  Vir¬ 
ginia,  and  was  educated  in  Virginia  educational  in¬ 
stitutions. 

Dr.  Lipscomb  is  tall  and  well  proportioned,  of 
a  grave  and  scholarly  mien,  not  effusive  in  his  man¬ 
ners,  but  easy  and  affable,  and  carries  himself  with 
much  dignity.  He  is  a  man  of  solidity  of  thought  and 
expression,  and  of  fine  executive  ability.  Wherever 
he  served  his  churches  have  been  well  organized  and 
started  steadily  in  growth  of  members.  With  a  genius 
for  detail  he  has  been  for  several  years  and  is  now 
Secretary  of  the  Conference  and  seems  to  have  at 
his  finger  tips  all  the  details  of  the  work  of  the  or¬ 
ganization. 

His  method  of  speaking  is  slow  and  deliberate  and 
his  sermons  are  logical  and  clear  and  delivered  in  a 
quiet,  dignified  manner  with  good  voice.  He  is  popular 
and  highly  regarded  both  in  and  out  of  the  church. 

His  term  at  Washington  Street  Church,  Petersburg, 
was  cut  short  after  a  little  less  than  three  years  of 
service  by  his  election  as  secretary-treasurer  of  Ran- 
dolph-Macon  College.  In  November,  1903,  he  was  ap¬ 
pointed  presiding  elder  of  the  Petersburg  District, 
which  position  he  held  for  four  years;  six  years  later 
he  returned  to  that  district  for  another  term  of  four 
years. 

Eleven  years  of  his  ministry  have  thus  been  closely 
associated  with  the  “Cockade  City,”  where  he  and  his 
family  formed  many  warm  friendships  and  to  which 
they  have  ever  since  been  strongly  attached. 


176 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


JOHN  B.  WINN— 1906-1907-1908-1909-1917-1918- 

1919-1920-1921-1922 

Received  in  1891. 

Dr.  Winn  was  born  in  1871,  in  Nottoway  county, 
Virginia.  He  was  reared  by  his  grandparents  and 
entered  Randolph-Macon  College  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 
His  pastorates  were  very  successful,  and  his  churches 
always  strive  for  his  return. 

To  those  who  know  the  man,  this  is  not  surprising. 
Few  men  in  the  ministry  ever  made  more  friends,  or 
bound  them  more  closely  in  the  bonds  of  friendship. 
He  is  as  generous  in  his  loyalty  and  affection  for  his 
friends,  as  they  are  to  him.  A  friend  could  call  upon 
him  in  time  of  need  and  be  sure  of  a  response  that 
gave  all  his  deep  sympathy  and  love.  In  fact,  his 
sympathy  with  erring  mankind  is  so  deep  that  even 
strangers  feel  it,  and  sometimes  impose  upon  his 
broad-minded  charitableness.  Loyal  to  those  whom 
he  served,  generous  to  their  failings,  sympathetic  in 
their  sorrows,  unselfish  and  kindly — such  are  the 
qualities  of  the  ideal  pastor. 

As  a  preacher,  he  is  handicapped  by  trouble  with 
his  eyes,  which  at  his  first  appearance  seems  a  draw¬ 
back,  but  as  soon  as  he  begins  the  development  of  his 
theme,  apparently  his  affliction  is  forgotten  by  himself, 
and  most  certainly  by  his  audience,  so  charmed  and 
interested  are  they  in  following  closely  his  thought  for 
fear  they  may  miss  some  well-chosen  word,  that  seems 
to  express  just  the  proper  shade  of  meaning.  His 
style  is  all  his  own,  free  and  easy.  Speaking  without 
notes,  yet  without  hesitancy,  his  language  is  clear  and 
forcible,  at  times  rising  to  a  climax  in  some  word- 
painting  that  leaves  his  hearers  feeling  they  can  see 
the  beauty  he  describes.  His  discourses  are  analytical 
and  profound;  well  arranged  and  eloquent.  The  most 
cultured  audiences  of  Petersburg  were  his,  and  Wash- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  177 


ington  Street  was  proud  of  him  and  the  place  he  filled 
in  the  community.  Earnest,  sincere,  and  godly  in  his 
daily  life;  full  of  brotherly  kindness;  and  charitable 
to  his  fellow-man,  he  made  a  deep  and  abiding  impres¬ 
sion  upon  the  people  of  the  city,  not  surpassed  by  any 
preacher  who  ever  filled  this  pulpit. 

He  was  at  Washington  Street  Church  nine  years  in 
all,  and  its  story  in  that  time  has  been  told  in  the  pre¬ 
vious  pages— the  story  is  largely  the  story  of  his  ser¬ 
vice  and  his  leadership,  and  is  better  told  than  in  these 
few  words  of  tribute. 

T.  R.  REEVES— 1910  (November,  1910,  to  May,  1911 

Mr.  Reeves  had  filled  some  of  the  most  prominent 
pulpits  of  the  Conference  before  he  came  to  Wash¬ 
ington  Street,  and  was  well  and  favorably  known. 
After  serving  a  few  months,  in  May,  1911,  he  was 
appointed  principal  of  Blackstone  Female  Institute. 
After  several  years  of  work  there,  he  came  back  into 
the  active  ministry. 

He  was  of  pleasing  personality,  dignified  in  appear¬ 
ance  and  friendly  and  courteous  in  his  contact  with 
the  people  of  Petersburg.  Though  his  service  was 
brief,  he  made  a  most  favorable  impression,  and  Ins 
departure  was  regretted. 

FRED  R.  CHENAULT  (June,  1911,  to  Nov.,  1911) 

In  the  interval  between  tne  resignation  of  Mr. 
Reeves  and  the  filling  of  the  vacancy,  Mr.  Chenault, 
then  a  student,  most  acceptably  carried  on  the  work. 
At  that  time  he  gave  promise  of  the  ability  which  is 
now  so  well  recognized  throughout  Virginia.  He  was 
very  popular,  especially  with  the  young  men,  and  got 
many  of  them  interested  in  church  work.  Washington 
Street  will  always  have  a  warm  spot  in  its  heart  for 

Chenault.  ' 


178 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


GEORGE  E.  BOOKER— 1911-1912-1913 

He  was  born  in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  March  22, 
1872.  He  was  educated  at  William  and  Mary  and  Ran- 
dolph-Macon  College  and  the  University  of  Virginia, 
and  was  admitted  into  the  Virginia  Conference  in 
1893. 

He  has  been  in  special  demand  as  a  college  com¬ 
mencement  preacher  and  Memorial  Day  orator,  and 
has  had  successful  pastorates  at  some  of  the  largest 
churches. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  three  General  Conferences 
and  is  a  trustee  of  Randolph-Macon  College. 

His  style  as  a  speaker  is  polished,  and  his  diction 
and  phraseology  most  pleasing. 

S.  T.  SENTER— 1914 

Received  in  1901  in  the  Holston  Conference  and 
transferred  to  Baltimore  Conference  in  1910 — then 
transferred  to  Washington  Street  in  1913.  He  was 
born  in  1879  at  Bristol,  Tennessee,  and  was  educated 
at  King  College  and  Vanderbilt  University. 

He  is  quiet  and  reserved  in  manner,  but  sociable  and 
friendly  after  becoming  acquainted.  He  is  tall  and 
attractive  in  appearance.  Possesses  a  keen  intellect 
and  a  splendid  education,  his  sermons  are  logical  and 
forcible. 


RICHARD  WILKINSON— 1915-1916 

Dr.  Wilkinson  was  a  “transfer,”  coming  to  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  with  a  reputation  as  an  orator  and  lec¬ 
turer.  He  fulfilled  in  these  respects  the  reputation 
which  preceded  him.  He  served  one  year  and  was 
returned  the  succeeding  year,  but  soon  after  his  re¬ 
appointment  left  the  Methodist  Church  and  joined  the 
Episcopal  ministry.  The  membership  of  the  church 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  Vi9 

had  pride  in  his  ability,  and  were  enthused  by  his  zeal 
and  energy.  The  younger  element  of  the  church  were 
very  enthusiastic  under  his  leadership. 

Dr.  John  B.  Winn  was  then  transferred  from  Roa¬ 
noke  in  May,  1916,  to  take  his  place. 

FRANK  L.  WELLS,  D.  D.— 1922 

Rev.  Frank  L.  Wells  was  born  in  Raleigh,  North 
Carolina,  in  1877.  His  father,  Frank  Osborne  Wells, 
was  born  in  Petersburg.  His  parents  moved  to  Peters¬ 
burg  when  he  was  only  six  months  old. 

He  was  received  on  trial  in  the  Virginia  Confer¬ 
ence  in  1904. 

He  was  converted  at  thirteen  years  of  age  under 
the  ministry  of  Rev.  W.  J.  Young,  D.  D.,  at  Park 
Place  Church,  Richmond.  Received  his  educational 
preparation  for  the  ministry  in  Randolph-Macon  Col¬ 
lege  and  Vanderbilt  University. 

Supplied  Market  Street  Church,  Petersburg,  from 
June  1st  until  Conference,  while  a  student  of  Ran¬ 
dolph-Macon  College,  and  supplied  Barton  Heights 
Church  from  May  until  Conference,  1901,  while  a 
student  at  Randolph-Macon  College. 

For  the  past  five  years  has  been  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Missions  of  the  Virginia  Conference  in  ad¬ 
dition  to  his  pastoral  work. 

Dr.  Wells  is  a  graceful  and  pleasing  speaker.  His 
ability  as  an  organizer  was  well  known,  and  he  took 
hold  of  the  work  with  administrative  ability,  and  re¬ 
ceived  the  enthusiastic  co-operation  of  the  church. 
Coming  at  a  time  when  a  large  debt  for  improvements 
just  completed  was  hanging  over  the  membership,  a 
man  of  executive  ability  was  needed  to  keep  the  church 
progressing  satisfactorily.  He  acted  with  energy,  and 
at  this  time  the  church  under  his  leadership  is  in  good 
shape. 


180  THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 

LIST  OF  STEWARDS  FROM  1773  TO  1923. 


The  designation  “Steward”  was  used  from  the  ear¬ 
liest  times.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  first 
organizations  were  called  “Societies,”  and  each  “So¬ 
ciety”  was  divided  into  smaller  companies  called 
“Classes.”  Each  class  had  a  “Leader,”  whose  duty 

7  t/ 

it  was  “to  meet  the  ministers  and  the  stewards  of 
the  society  once  a  week.” 

In  Petersburg,  however,  there  is  no  record  of  Stew¬ 
ards  prior  to  1810.  Trustees  were  distinct  from  the 
Stewards,  but  as  most  of  the  Trustees  were  also  Stew¬ 
ards,  this  list  will  refer  solely  to  Stewards  since  1810. 
The  first  record  says: 

“September  21,  1810.  Resolved,  that  a  stewards’ 
meeting  be  formed  which  shall  consist  of  all  the  local 
and  stationed  preachers,  the  class  leaders,  and  trus¬ 
tees.”  Prior  to  1810,  mention  will  first  be  made  of 
some  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  church. 

The  first  (incomplete)  list  gives  the  names  of  Gres- 
sett  Davis,  John  Cook,  David  Thweatt,  Francis  Baird, 
Batt  Gilmore,  Nathaniel  Parrott  and  others.  Very 
little  can  be  ascertained  about  them.  Davis,  Cook,  and 
Parrott  will  be  referred  to.  The  names  of  Thweatt, 
Baird,  and  Gilmore  were  well-known  names  in  Prince 
George  county,  adjoining  Petersburg,  and  it  is  prob¬ 
able  that  they  were  residents  of  that  county.  It  is 
known  that  a  number  of  Methodists  in  that  county  at 
that  time  worshipped  in  Petersburg. 

1773.  Gressett  Davis. 

John  Cook. 

Edward  Hobbs. 

Archer  Brown. 

Stith  Parham. 

1788.  Joseph  Harding. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  181 


1810.  Nathaniel  Lee,  1825. 

Thomas  Young,  1828. 

Samuel  Hart,  removed  1815. 

Enoch  Sullivan,  1812. 

Peyton  Lynch,  1817. 

1812.  Peter  McCulloch,  1824. 

Joseph  Botner,  removed  1815. 

1815.  Allen  Archer,  resigned  1844. 

1819.  Thomas  A.  Stroud,  1836. 

1821.  John  Stith,  1823. 

1822.  Seth  Heath,  died  1832. 

1823.  G.  P.  Disosway,  1828. 

1824.  Beverly  Drinkard,  resigned  1848. 

John  Myrick,  deceased  1832. 

1826.  George  Mahood,  removed  1828. 

1828.  William  Clark,  resigned  1842. 

William  Brownley,  vacated  1865. 

1836.  Daniel  Lyon,  vacated  1877. 

Thomas  Branch,  vacated  1844. 

James  McD.  Anderson,  resigned  1844. 

1842.  D’Arcy  Paul,  died  1875. 

1844.  P.  B.  Wells,  vacated  1860. 

B.  P.  Harrison,  resigned  1856. 

Thomas  Wallace,  vacated  1847. 

1847.  E.  P.  Nash,  vacated  1856. 

1848.  John  Enniss,  vacated  1859. 

1854.  P.  F.  Cogbill,  vacated  1859. 

1856.  N.  F.  Rives,  vacated  1859. 

1858.  S.  Drummond,  resigned  1865. 

George  B.  Jones,  killed  in  battle  June  9,  1864. 
A.  B.  Mahood,  vacated  1878. 

1860.  P.  H.  Booth,  died  1896. 


182 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


1864.  Wesley  Grigg,  vacated  1866. 

Francis  Major,  vacated  1869. 

1865.  John  W.  Bradbury,  died  1904. 

1867.  T.  L.  H.  Young,  1904,  resigned  1886. 
Williams  T.  Davis,  vacated  1888. 
George  V.  Scott,  died  1886. 

1869.  L.  L.  Marks,  vacated  1910. 

George  Peace,  resigned  1869. 

W.  A.  Shepard,  resigned  1870. 

1873.  James  B.  Blanks.* 

George  C.  Starke,  died  1898. 

John  R.  Turner,  died  1904. 

1876.  R.  B.  Davis,  died  1917. 

W.  P.  Taylor,  died  1884. 

J.  M.  Leath,  vacated  1886. 

1877.  R.  A.  Harrison,  died  1917. 

E.  W.  Butcher.* 

T.  M.  Woody  (declined  to  accept). 

1881.  C.  D.  Tinsley,  died  1913. 

1881.  N.  W.  Norsworthy,  vacated  1883. 

L.  E.  Clark,  died  1886. 

H.  G.  Leigh,  died  1898. 

1885.  E.  G.  Bagley,  vacated  1887. 

1887.  R.  L.  Kidd,  died  1906. 

Hugh  Cousins,  1889. 

1890.  Walter  S.  Alley,  1894. 

W.  E.  Ramey,  1913. 

H.  C.  Davis,  1890. 

1891.  W.  H.  Littlejohn,  1892. 

John  T.  Grubb,  1892. 

1892.  A.  K.  Davis,  1915. 

1894.  W.  F.  Drewry.* 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  183 


1895.  W.  J.  Purdy.* 

1898.  T.  J.  Jefferson,  vacated  1905. 

F.  0.  Strailman.* 

S.  W.  Booth.* 

1899.  James  M.  Turner.* 

W.  H.  Willcox,*  vacated  1901,  reinstated  1920. 

1902.  Dr.  T.  J.  Burgess,  vacated  1928. 

1904.  E.  H.  Edmunds,  vacated  1913. 

Jacob  Savage,  vacated  1920. 

W.  A.  Williamson.* 

1905.  T.  E.  Wilkerson,  1907. 

1907.  M.  B.  Cogbill.* 

1908.  E.  G.  Temple,  vacated  1917. 

1911.  R.  M.  Woody.* 

1912.  F.  M.  Hobbs.* 

S.  Henley  Turner,  1914. 

1913.  E.  M.  Stokes,  1915. 

M.  W.  Pyne,  died  1918. 

W|  Y.  Burge.* 

John  J.  Jones.* 

1914.  E.  W.  Butcher,  Jr.,  1916. 

R.  M.  Craddock,  died  1923. 

1915.  P.  H.  Drewry.* 

1916.  H.  D.  Wolff.* 

1917.  W.  W.  Hines,  1919. 

Dr.  H.  W.  Talley.* 

J.  A.  Baird.* 

1918.  R.  H.  Mann.* 

J.  I.  Joyner.* 

1919.  Holmes  Boisseau.* 

L.  L.  Kidd.* 

W.  T.  Baugh.* 

Gray  M.  Smith,  1921. 


184 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


1920.  J.  W.  Ferrell.* 

P.  H.  Booth.* 

Ashton  W.  Gray.* 

1921.  Nathan  Toms.* 

Louis  Brownlow,  1923. 

H.  J.  Tucker.* 

1922.  I.  B.  Davenport.* 

In  December,  1923,  the  following  were  added : 

1923.  W.  M.  Edens.* 

E.  A.  Wyatt,  Jr.* 

W.  S.  Strailman.* 

*  GRESSETT  DAVIS— 1773 

He  was  a  merchant  of  Petersburg  and  a  man  of 
considerable  influence  in  the  business  life  of  the  com¬ 
munity.  He  was  the  leader,  the  main  prop  of  the 
struggling  young  Methodist  Society.  He  was  instru¬ 
mental  in  building  the  first  church  and  contributed 
fifty  pounds  toward  the  building  of  the  second.  His 
house  was  thrown  open  to  the  members  after  the 
church  on  Harrison  Street  was  burned  and  worship 
was  held  there  for  a  part  of  the  time  until  the  erection 
of  the  new  church  on  Market  Street.  He  lived  on  what 
is  now  called  Mistletoe  Street,  in  the  rear  of  the  pres¬ 
ent  Wesley  Church  on  Halifax  Street.  The  Conference 
of  1787  was  held  in  this  house.  One  record  recites 
that  he  lived  in  Pocahontas  in  1773.  His  storehouse 
was  on  Water  Street,  where  he  conducted  a  general 
merchandise  business.  He  believed  in  Petersburg  and 
invested  in  real  estate  in  “Ravenscroft  Town,”  in  the 
angle  formed  by  Sycamore  (or  Walnut  Street,  as  it 
was  then  called)  and  Halifax  Street.  The  oldest  record 


Those  marked  with  a  *  are  the  present  members  of  the  board. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  185 

(1784)  of  Petersburg  shows  several  transactions,  in 
which  he  and  his  wife,  Martha,  sold  lots  to  Joseph 
Harding  and  Nathaniel  Lee,  and  other  Methodists.  He 
owned  slaves,  but  freed  them,  reciting  in  the  deed  of 
manumission  of  “Isthmael,  about  35  years  old,”  as  fol¬ 
lows  :  “Being  fully  persuaded  that  Freedom  is  the  natu¬ 
ral  right  of  all  men — agreeable  to  the  declaration  of  the 
Bill  of  Rights ;  upon  which  1  conceived  our  present 
happy  Constitution  is  established.”  The  date  of  this 
deed  was  November  3,  1784.  In  another  deed  he  re¬ 
cites:  “I  believe  all  men  by  nature  have  an  unalienable 
right  to  Liberty.” 

This  is  not  the  only  instance  of  the  freedom  of 
slaves  by  the  Methodists  of  that  time.  Many  of  the 
leading  Methodists  followed  the  example  of  Gressett 
Davis.  The  more  one  reads  of  the  old  records,  the 
more  he  becomes  convinced  that  the  question  of  slavery 
would  have  been  eventually  settled  without  interfer¬ 
ence  from  outside. 

Gressett  Davis  had  two  daughters.  The  two  sisters 
married,  one  Francis  Follet,  and  the  other,  Lewis 
Mabry.  Follet  and  Mabry  were  in  partnership,  con¬ 
ducting  a  hardware  business  on  Bollingbrook  Street. 
Both  were  prominent  men.  Lewis  Mabry  was  twice 
mayor  of  Petersburg.  He  also  wrote  a  series  of  let¬ 
ters  on  Methodism  in  Petersburg  which  were  pub¬ 
lished  in  the  Advocate,  but  the  files  of  the  paper  con¬ 
taining  these  articles  were  destroyed  in  the  burning 
of  Richmond  in  1865.  There  may  be  some  in  existence, 
but  the  writer  has  not  been  able  to  find  them.  They 
would  be  very  interesting.  Lewis  Mabry  also  wrote 
some  interesting  accounts  of  Petersburg,  'as  it  was  in 
1800. 

Mrs.  Follet  died,  leaving  no  issue.  Mrs.  Mabry  had 
four  daughters;  one  married  Rev.  Martin  Parks,  a 


186 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Methodist  preacher,  who  withdrew  from  the  connec¬ 
tion  in  1836;  one  married  Nicholas  Moore  and  moved 
to  Alabama ;  the  remaining  two  were  unmarried. 

NATHANIEL  PARROTT— 1783 

Nathaniel  Parrott  and  Lucy,  his  wife,  are  men¬ 
tioned  in  the  list.  Nothing  is  known  of  them  after¬ 
wards,  but  a  “Mr.  Parrott  and  his  wife”  are  men¬ 
tioned  by  Asbury  as  making  “sickly  travelers  more 
welcome”  in  Richmond.  This  sounds  so  much  like 
Petersburg  hospitality  that  it  might  be  concluded  the 
Parrotts  had  moved  to  Richmond.  The  ones  in  Rich¬ 
mond  offered  their  home,  and  helped  to  establish  the 
first  Methodist  church  in  that  city.  Again,  history 
repeats  itself,  for  Richmond  has  been  forwarded  in 
many  instances  by  Petersburg  men. 

JOHN  COOK— 1783 

He  lived  in  Pocahontas,  and  was  the  “Leader”  of 
the  early  “Society.”  The  early  records  disclose  that 
he  was  a  trader  and  merchant.  He  owned  a  sloop — 
the  “Dispatch” — and  had  a  carrying  trade  on  the 
river.  He  was  also  one  of  our  earliest  tobacconists 
and  went  into  debt,  on  one  occasion,  to  buy  “one  to¬ 
bacco  screw.” 

JOSEPH  HARDING— 1780-1810 

He  was  a  prominent  man,  and  a  friend  of  Bishop 
Asbury.  Reference  has  been  made  to  him  in  previous 
pages.  He  was  a  merchant  on  Water  Street,  and  there 
is  a  reference  to  “Joseph  Harding’s  store  and  Gressett 
Davis’s  and  Nathaniel  Lee’s  stores”  adjoining  on 
Water  Street.  He  also  owned  slaves  and  freed 
them,  believing  “that  God  created  all  men  equally 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  187 

free.”  Numerous  transactions  in  real  estate  are  re¬ 
corded  in  his  name.  His  residence  was  near  Harding 
and  New  Streets. 

Some  of  his  descendants  still  live  in  Petersburg. 
He  had  four  daughters,  who  married  respectively 
Boyle,  Raines,  Hudson  and  Cox.  The  Boyles  died 
without  issue.  They  lived  on  Liberty  Street  in  a  very 
old  house,  torn  down  many  years  ago.  The  only  daugh¬ 
ter  of  Mrs.  Raines  married  Mr.  William  Cuthbert  and 
their  descendants  are  among  the  most  prominent  peo¬ 
ple  of  the  community.  Mrs.  Hudson  had  one  son, 
Joseph  Harding  Hudson.  The  husband  of  the  fourth 
daughter,  John  Cox,  was  a  trustee  in  the  Methodist 
Church  in  1810. 

NATHANIEL  LEE— 1810-1825 

He  was  probably  one  of  the  younger  sons  of  Na¬ 
thaniel  Lee,  Sr.,  and  a  brother  of  Rev.  Jesse  Lee.  His 
father  lived  about  sixteen  miles  south  of  Petersburg  in 
Prince  George  county,  and  was  one  of  the  substantial 
farmers  of  the  section.  A  writer  gives  a  picture  of 
his  home,  that  throws  a  sidelight  on  the  life  of  rural 
Virginia  at  that  time:  “He  (Nathaniel  Lee,  Sr.)  was 
the  owner  of  several  hundred  acres  of  land  and  of 
servants  enough  to  cultivate  them;  producing  on  his 
own  premises  a  sufficiency  of  what  were  deemed  the 
necessaries  of  life,  and  selling  enough  to  procure  some 
of  its  luxuries,  he  dwelt  at  ease  and  in  independence 
on  his  estate ;  dividing  his  land  between  the  cultivation 
of  his  lands,  the  proper  care  of  his  family,  and  the 
promotion  of  the  social  happiness  of  his  neighbor¬ 
hood.”  Three  of  his  sons  settled  in  Petersburg. 

Nathaniel  Lee,  Jr.,  was  a  merchant  on  Water  Street, 
and  a  close  friend  and  associate  in  business  with 
Joseph  Harding.  He  lived  in  what  is  known  as  “Gill- 
field,”  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  town. 


188 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


He  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  church,  being  a 
steward  and  a  trustee,  and  was  one  of  the  largest 
contributors  to  the  new  brick  church  on  Union  Street, 
as  shown  on  a  list  dated  1823.  There  is  no  record 
of  his  name  after  1825.  He  was  one  of  the  original 
members,  and  his  name  is  mentioned  frequently  in 
contracts  for  repairing  the  wooden  church  on  Market 
Street.  He  was  the  uncle  of  Rev.  LeRoy  Lee,  of  the 
Virginia  Conference. 

SAMUEL  HART— 1810-1815 

He  was  a  merchant  on  Bollingbrook  Street.  Very 
little  is  known  of  him. 

PETER  McCULLOCH— 1812-1825 

He  lived  on  Old  Street,  and  was  active  and  liberal 
in  promoting  the  building  of  Union  Street  Church. 

ALLEN  ARCHER— 1815-1844 

A  prominent  and  useful  citizen,  taking  an  interest 
in  civic  as  well  as  religious  affairs.  He  was  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  church  in  the  building  of  the  new  house 
of  worship  on  Union  Street,  and  was  one  of  the  largest 
subscribers.  He  lived  on  High  Street  and  took  his 
membership  to  the  “Western  Station,”  out  of  which 
grew  High  Street  Church.  He  was  the  father,  it  is 
thought,  of  Col.  F.  H.  Archer,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican 
War,  and  the  commander  of  the  home  forces  on  the 
9th  of  June,  1864. 

Allen  Archer  died  in  1869. 

THOMAS  A.  STROUD— 1819-1836 

He  was  born  in  1765  and  died  in  1838,  aged  73 
years.  He  lived  in  Texas  for  a  while,  probably  in 
his  youth,  for  the  first  reference  we  find  to  him  in 
the  church  records  is  in  1817,  when  he  was  elected 
trustee  in  place  of  Peyton  Lynch,  who  died  in  that 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  189 

year.  He  was  very  active  in  church  affairs,  as  leader, 
trustee,  and  steward;  in  addition  he  could  always  be 
counted  upon  for  large  contributions  when  needed.  He 
was  a  man  of  sterling  character  and  deep  religious 
convictions.  He  lived  in  “that  part  of  the  town  known 
as  the  Old  Town.”  Some  think  that  Blandford  is 
meant  by  this  description,  but  the  better  view  is  that 
the  part  of  the  town  at  the  upper  or  western  end  of 
Old  Street  was  intended.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade,  and  in  1828  was  clerk  of  the  market.  His  family 
have  been  long  prominent  in  Methodist  circles,  one 
of  his  relatives,  Mr.  James  B.  Blanks,  at  this  time 
being  the  oldest  member  in  point  of  service  in  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  Church. 

JOHN  STITH— 1819-1823 

He  was  active  in  the  church  as  a  leader  and  trustee 
before  he  was  made  steward.  He  was  one  of  the 
largest  contributors  to  the  building  fund  of  the  new 
church  on  Union  Street,  and  was  for  a  long  time  treas¬ 
urer  of  the  church,  but  there  is  no  mention  of  him 
after  1823. 

SETH  HEATH— 1822-1832 

For  several  years  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Stewards. 

G.  P.  DISOSWAY— 1823-1828 

He  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1799,  of  French 
descent.  He  married  in  Virginia  and  lived  in  Peters¬ 
burg  from  1821  to  1828.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Co¬ 
lumbia  College  in  New  York  and  by  reason  of  his 
education  and  ability  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
church  and  town.  He,  with  Dr.  H.  G.  Leigh,  estab¬ 
lished  Randolph-Macon  College,  and  there  is  a  tablet 
to  his  memory  in  the  college  chapel  in  Ashland,  Va. 
After  his  return  to  New  York,  he  actively  interested 


190 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


himself  in  the  affairs  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  its 
religious  institutions.  As  an  author,  he  is  best  known 
by  his  book,  “The  Old  Churches  of  New  York.” 

CAPT.  BEVERLY  DRINKARD— 1824-1848. 

His  father,  William  Rollinson  Drinkard,  was  born 
in  England,  and  came  to  the  United  States  as  a  school 
teacher.  He  married  Mary  Cocke  Willcox,  a  sister 
of  John  Vaughan  Willcox,  of  Walnut  Hill,  Peters¬ 
burg,  Virginia. 

JOHN  MYRICK — 1824-1832 

He  married  a  daughter  of  William  Clark,  another 
steward  of  the  church.  He  died  in  1832,  in  his  forty- 
fifth  year,  and  is  buried  in  Chesterfield  county,  on  the 
farm  where  Mrs.  Werres  now  lives.  He  and  William 
Clark  were  relatives  of  Mr.  Spooner  Epes,  and  Mr. 
Kevan  of  this  city. 

WILLIAM  CLARK— 1828-1842 

Born  1762,  died  1846.  He  was  a  banker  in  Peters¬ 
burg. 


GEORGE  MAHOOD— 1826-1828 

He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Alexander  and  Jane  Ma- 
hood,  and  was  born  in  Loughbrickland,  County  Down, 
Ireland,  in  1798.  He  came  to  Virginia  about  1818 
and  engaged  in  mission  work  among  the  Indians  in 
Virginia  and  Ohio.  It  is  thought  that  he  joined  the 
Methodist  Church  in  Petersburg  soon  after  he  came 
to  America.  He  was  a  class  leader  in  1821,  then  a 
trustee  and  a  steward.  In  the  meantime  he  studied 
for  the  ministry  and  was  admitted  to  the  Virginia 
Conference  in  1827,  and  died  in  1839  serving  in  Meck¬ 
lenburg  and  Sussex  counties. 

He  married  Elizabeth  Ellis,  daughter  of  Ephraim 
Ellis,  of  Petersburg,  Va. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  191 


WILLIAM  BROWNLEY— 1828-1865 

He  is  first  mentioned  in  1823  as  a  class  leader,  and 
from  that  time  on  held  successively  positions  of  trus¬ 
tee  and  steward  and  at  one  time  was  treasurer.  He 
lived  on  Market  Street,  and  his  home  was  a  home  for 
all  the  preachers.  One  of  his  descendants  writes  as 
follows:  “We  had  a  preacher’s  room  with  two  big 
teaster  bedsteads,  and  no  one  was  expected  to  stay  in 
them  but  preachers  and  they  were  legion — sometimes 
before  the  preachers  could  get  in  their  homes  in  Pe¬ 
tersburg,  they  would  come  with  their  whole  families 
and  stay  weeks  at  my  father’s.  During  the  Conference 
the  long  mahogany  table  seating  twenty  or  more  was 
always  free — as  my  father  kept  open  house  at  that 
time.  I  had  a  good  time  listening  to  their  many 
jokes— and  when  the  bell  rang  for  prayers  in  the 
morning,  all  came  in,  white  and  colored — they  were 
good  old  days.” 

What  an  attractive  picture  and  what  an  argument 
for  private  entertainment  of  the  preachers  at  Con¬ 
ference  ! 


MAJOR  DANIEL  LYON— 1836-1877 

Major  Daniel  Lyon,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza¬ 
beth  Lyon,  was  born  in  Richmond,  Va.,  December 
17,  1800,  and  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  at  the  home  of 
his  son,  Daniel  Lyon,  Jr.,  April  12,  1883.  He  was 
happily  married  to  Miss  Agnes  Simmons  Temple,  the 
daughter  of  Randolph  and  Nancy  Temple,  of  Prince 
George  county. 

Under  strong  religious  influences,  young  Daniel 
was  brought  up,  and  in  early  childhood  united  with 
the  Methodist  Church  where  he  was  a  tower  of 
strength  for  half  a  century.  While  he  had  other 
business  interests  yet  he  devoted  his  time  to  the  man¬ 
ufacture  of  bricks,  contractor  and  builder;  and  was 


192 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


engaged  to  construct  the  present  edifice  in  which  the 
congregation  of  Washington  Street  Methodist  Church 
now  worship.  He  was  diligent  and  prosperous  in 
business,  and  with  a  deep  sense  of  gratitude  to  Al¬ 
mighty  God  he  was  a  cheerful  and  generous  giver  to 
all  the  interests  of  the  Church. 

As  a  prominent  citizen  and  mayor  of  the  city  he 
interested  himself  in  its  municipal  welfare.  Being 
too  old  at  the  time  of  the  war  between  the  States  to 
enter  the  army  he  drove  his  wagons  around  the  town 
collecting  clothing  and  other  bundles  which  he  car¬ 
ried  to  the  lines  for  the  soldiers.  On  a  winter  day 
he  took  off  his  shoes  on  the  street  and  gave  them  to 
a  soldier  whose  feet  were  almost  on  the  cold  ground. 

He  was  given  to  hospitality.  His  home  was  the 
meeting  place  for  ministers.  At  his  fireside  they 
found  good  cheer  and  comfort.  He  kept  an  open 
house  for  Christian  workers  and  young  people.  Hav¬ 
ing  nine  children  of  his  own  it  was  natural  that  this 
should  be  the  place  where  the  young  life  of  the 
community  enjoyed  their  festivities. 

After  teaching  a  class  of  girls  for  some  time  he 
was  made  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  to 
which  he  gave  many  useful  }Tears. 

He  was  a  wise  counselor.  Possessing  a  discrim¬ 
inating  and  sound  judgment  as  he  did,  his  advice  on 
important  matters  was  frequently  sought.  For  forty 
years  he  was  a  steward  of  this  church,  holding  nearly 
every  office  in  the  gift  of  his  church.  With  unwaver¬ 
ing  loyalty  to  his  local  institution  he  confidently  be¬ 
lieved  in  the  Providential  origin  and  mission  of  Wes¬ 
leyan  Methodism. 

Three  generations  of  Daniel  Lyon  are  now  mem¬ 
bers  of  this  church,  viz.,  David  A.  Lyon,  attorney  at 
law;  David  A.  Lyon,  Jr.,  and  David  A.  Lyon,  3rd. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  193 

THOMAS  BRANCH— 1836-1844 

He  was  born  at  Willow  Hill  in  Chesterfield  county 
in  1802,  and  in  his  young  manhood  removed  to  Peters¬ 
burg,  where  he  established  himself  in  business  as  a 
commission  merchant  and  banker.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  common  council,  sheriff,  and  for  several  terms 
mayor  of  Petersburg.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Con¬ 
vention  of  1861,  and  when  Virginia  left  the  Union 
was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  ordinance  of  secession. 

“Shortly  after  his  first  marriage,  in  1831,  he  had 
joined  the  Methodist  Church,  and  for  the  remainder 
of  his  long  and  active  life  was  one  of  its  most  devoted 
and  most  useful  members.  It  has  been  estimated  that 
he  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  some  fifty  of  the  an¬ 
nual  conferences;  and  his  pecuniary  contributions  to 
the  cause  of  Methodism  were  preverbially  enormous. 

“In  addition,  Thomas  Branch  was  treasurer  of  the 
Virginia  Bible  Society,  and  for  many  years  treasurer 
of  the  Magdalen  Association,  of  Richmond,  Virginia, 
and  a  profuse  assistant  of  both ;  and  he  was  also  presi¬ 
dent  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Randolph-Macon 
College. 

“In  his  relations  to  the  church,  as  elsewhere,  the 
elements  of  his  character  forbid  to  him  a  negative 
position.  The  church  of  his  choice  early  recognized 
these  qualities,  and  called  him  into  official  station  and 
to  representative  trusts.  Few  among  us  anywhere 
have  filled  so  long  the  honored  and  responsible  office 
of  a  steward.  He  has  been  a  conspicuous  represen¬ 
tative  of  his  church  in  the  Quarterly,  Annual  and 
General  Conferences.  Until  disabled  by  age  it  was. 
his  delight  to  be  at  them.  His  devotion  to  his  church, 
to  her  doctrines,  her  piety,  her  ministry  and  all  her 
enterprises,  was  marked  and  well  known.  And  for 
long  years  he  was  the  faithful  trustee,  the  fast  friend 
and  the  liberal  supporter  of  Randolph-Macon  College.” 


194 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


After  the  War  Between  the  States  he  moved  to  Rich¬ 
mond,  and  founded  the  Merchants  National  Bank,  of 
which  he  was  president.  He  died  in  1888.  Removed 
from  Union  Street  Church  to  the  Western  Station 
(then  Plum  Street  and  Ettrick  and  afterwards  High 
Street  Church)  in  1844. 

JAMES  McDOWELL  ANDERSON— 1836-1844 

James  McD.  Anderson  was  born  January  30,  1786, 
in  Sussex  County,  Virginia.  Died  October  22,  1861, 
in  Petersburg,  Virginia. 

He  was  a  successful  merchant,  affectionate  and  in¬ 
dulgent  in  his  family  life,  and  an  honored  and  re¬ 
spected  Christian  gentleman. 

An  old  historian,  writing  about  1860,  says:  “In 
1818  the  first  vote  was  taken  the  free  hold  suffrage, 
in  which  the  council  was  elected.  This  vote  amounted 
to  only  205,  and  of  those  who  figured  in  it,  we  see 
the  names  of  only  twelve  who  are  still  upon  earth. 
Here  are  the  survivors:  Messrs.  John  Bragg,  John  V. 
Willcox,  James  McD.  Anderson,  G.  W.  Stainback, 
Jabez  Smith,  Samuel  Crawford,  John  Allison,  John 
Taliaferro,  Allen  Archer,  Lewis  Mabry,  Charles  Kent 
and  Nathaniel  Vincent.”  Anderson,  Smith,  Archer  and 
Mabry  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

D’ARCY  PAUL— 1842-1875 

D’Arcy  Paul  was  born  in  the  county  Armagh,  Ire¬ 
land,  January  30,  1793.  He  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  with  the  intention  of  making  Virginia  his 
home,  in  the  year  1818,  living  for  a  while  in  each  of 
the  cities  of  Norfolk,  Richmond  and  Lynchburg,  and 
finally  settling  in  Petersburg  in  1823,  since  which 
time  he  was  a  resident  here.  For  many  years  he 
was  actively  engaged  in  mercantile  life,  and  was 
the  founder  of  the  largest  and  most  substantial 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  195 


wholesale  dry  goods  house  ever  known  in  Peters¬ 
burg.  The  first  firm  with  which  he  was  connected 
was  that  of  “Kyle,  Noble  &  Co/’  As  in  all  things 
else,  time  brought  changes  to  this  firm  also,  and  we 
find  it  subsequently  became — “Paul  and  Molland,” 
“Paul,  Molland  &  Co.”,  “Paul  &  Mcllwaine,”  “Paul, 
Mcllwaine  &  Co.”  Eventually  on  Mr.  Paul’s  retir¬ 
ing  from  mercantile  life,  the  business  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Messrs.  Mcllwaine  &  Graham,  and  finally 
Messrs.  Hamilton  &  Graham,  by  whom  it  was  wound 
up  and  discontinued  during  the  war.  His  honesty, 
integrity,  fair  dealing  and  untiring  energy  brought 
to  the  several  firms  with  which  he  was  successively 
connected,  an  immense  trade,  extended  through  a 
large  section  of  country,  and  his  reputation  as  a  mer¬ 
chant  was  known  and  respected  far  beyond  the  nar¬ 
row  limits  of  the  country  tributary  to  Petersburg. 

“Otherwise  in  the  annals  of  our  city,  Mr.  Paul  acted 
a  conspicuous  part.  For  many  years  before  and 
down  to  the  close  of  the  war,  when  the  city  passed 
under  the  control  of  the  military  authorities  he  held 
the  position  of  representative  of  Common  Council 
from  centre  ward,  a  position  he  never  sought.  His 
great  abilities  as  a  financier  being  fully  recognized 
by  the  Council,  he  was  chosen  a  member  and  made 
chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee — his  colleagues, 
like  himself  being  men  of  worth  and  ability.  Under 
their  administration  the  credit  of  the  city  was 
brought  to  a  standard,  such  as  that  enjoyed  by  few 
communities  in  these  United  States.  Her  bonds  were 
worth  their  face  value  in  the  markets  of  the  country, 
her  obligations  were  always  faithfully  and  promptly 
met,  and  the  people  were  proud  of  the  good  name, 
financially,  everywhere  bestowed  on  their  city. 
Among  the  disasters  brought  upon  us  by  the  war,  one 
of  the  greatest  was  the  ruthless  sweeping  away  from 
the  Hall  of  our  Council  such  men  as  Mr.  Paul  and 


196 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


his  colleagues,  and  the  filling  of  their  places  with 
such  men  as  have  ruled  and  almost  ruined  the  city 
during  the  last  few  years. 

On  the  organization  of  the  Petersburg  Savings  and 
Insurance  Company  in  1860,  Mr.  Paul  was  elected 
president.  That  institution  was  one  of  the  few  that 
survived  the  disasters  of  the  war,  and  that  maintained 
its  faith  to  its  depositors.  When  the  war  closed  it 
paid  dollar  for  dollar  in  greenbacks,  with  interest 
added — the  full  amount  of  all  deposits  made  before 
the  outbreak  of  hostilities;  and  the  deposits  in  Con¬ 
federate  funds  were  scaled  according  to  their  value  at 
the  time  of  receipt,  and  paid  with  interest. 

In  other  quarters  also  Mr.  Paul’s  peculiar  ability 
in  this  respect  was  brought  into  use.  For  years  he 
acted  as  Treasurer  of  the  Virginia  Conference,  which 
gave  him  control  of  all  measures  of  finance  in  that 
body.  His  counsel  was  always  sought  and  his  advice 
followed  when  the  ways  and  means  were  under  con¬ 
sideration.  When  Lay  Representatives  were  admit¬ 
ted  to  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  Mr.  Paul  was  among  the  first  delegates  sent 
from  this  State,  and  he  served  there  even  until  the 
last  Conference,  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Fi¬ 
nance. 

Mr.  Paul  was  a  man  of  very  strict  self-discipline. 
He  seemed  indeed  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  world. 
But  those  who  knew  him  well,  knew  him  also  to  be 
a  man  of  exceedingly  fine  social  traits.  He  was  hos¬ 
pitable  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the  word,  and  when 
his  mind  was  unoccupied  with  business  matters,  no 
one  was  more  free,  and  open,  and  courteous  in  man¬ 
ners  than  he. 

His  charities — public  and  private — knew  no  limit. 
Some  twenty-five  years  ago  when  Randolph-Macon 
College  was  in  a  condition  of  embarrassment  that 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  197 


threatened  its  very  existence,  the  buildings  were  out 
of  repair,  the  students  were  few,  and  the  institution 
itself  was  rapidly  declining  in  its  sphere  of  useful¬ 
ness,  D’Arcy  Paul  came  to  its  aid  and  gave  it  $5,000. 

The  poor  and  the  needy  were  always  in  his  mind 
and  his  hand  was  ever  open  to  their  call.  Every 
charitable  object,  whether  of  a  public  or  private  na¬ 
ture  received  his  attention  and  his  assistance.  While 
his  liberality  to  his  own  church  was  large-hearted,  he 
was  ever  ready  to  contribute  to  the  wants  of  other 
churches,  and  that  in  no  stinted  way.  The  orphan 
and  the  widow  were  the  recipients  of  his  kindly 
bounty,  and  to  afford  them  relief  was  with  him  a 
duty  and  a  pleasure.  He  was  the  founder  and  for  a 
long  while  the  sole  supporter  of  the  Thomas  Cook 
Paul  Asylum  in  this  city,  and  many  have  been  the 
little  ones  who  found  a  home  within  its  walls;  and 
who  were  there  educated,  clothed,  fed  and  grew  up 
under  virtuous  teachings  to  become  useful  members 
of  church  and  society.  The  Asylum  was  named  in 
honor  of  a  son  who  died  at  an  early  age,  but  who 
showed  remarkable  piety  and  religious  devotion. 
The  Asylum  was  a  few  years  ago  turned  over  to  the 
Methodist  Church  under  whose  care  its  usefulness  is 
still  preserved. 

The  building  on  Union  Street  known  as  the  Col¬ 
ored  Methodist  Church,  and  occupied  by  a  flourish¬ 
ing  congregation,  was  a  gift  to  the  Conference  by 
Mr.  Paul.  It  was  bought  by  him  for  the  purpose  for 
which  it  is  now  used,  and  the  colored  Methodists  of 
the  city  owe  it  to  his  liberality  that  they  have  a 
church  in  which  to  worship.  In  the  causes  of  mis¬ 
sions  and  education,  Mr.  Paul  always  evinced  pecu¬ 
liar  interest,  and  to  these  he  gave  constantly  and 
largely.  He  felt  the  need  of  the  spread  of  the  Gos¬ 
pel  in  all  lands  and  the  preaching  of  the  word  of 
God  to  all  the  world,  and  to  accomplish  this  end,  he 


198 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


gave  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  His  benefactions  to 
Randolph-Macon  College  for  the  education  of  young 
men  in  the  ministry,  were  as  an  ever  flowing  stream, 
and  as  freely  bestowed  as  the  dews  of  heaven  upon 
the  flowers  of  earth.  It  is  estimated  that  his  benefac¬ 
tions  in  the  course  of  his  life  will  reach  half  a  mil¬ 
lion  dollars.  But  what  need  we  say  further  in  this 
respect.  The  half  of  what  he  has  done  in  charities 
was  unknown  save  to  himself,  his  God  and  the  re¬ 
cipients  of  his  kindness.  His  deeds  are  written  above, 
and  will  be  called  to  his  merit  when  the  reward  of 
his  well  spent  life  is  meted  out  to  him  at  the  last 
day. 

Mr.  Paul  was  married  in  Norfolk  in  the  year  1823,  ’ 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  S.  Cook,  of  that  city.  He  removed 
to  Petersburg  immediately  after  his  marriage.  Three 
sons  were  born  unto  him,  viz. :  Thomas  Cook,  D’Arcy 
and  Samuel  B.  Paul.  The  first  died  very  young;  the 
second  was  accidentally  killed  during  the  war,  and 
the  last  named  still  lives  an  honored  citizen  in  our 
midst. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  became  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Church  of  England,  but  subsequently 
joined  the  Church  of  Wesley.  During  his  whole  life 
here — fifty-one  years — he  was  a  consistent  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.” 

The  merchants  of  the  city  closed  their  houses  of 
business  between  the  hours  of  eleven  and  two  o’clock 
P.  M.,  in  order  to  show  their  respects  by  attending 
the  funeral.  He  died  in  1874. 

P.  B.  WELLS— 1844-1860 

He  lived  at  the  corner  of  Halifax  and  Custer  Streets. 
This  house  is  said  to  have  been  the  headquarters  of 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  199 

General  Custer  in  1865.  He  was  the  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Eva  G.  Mullen,  long  a  valued  member  of  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  Church. 

B.  P.  HARRISON— -1844-1856 

He  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  James  River  Har¬ 
risons  and  lived  in  Petersburg  after  his  marriage.  He 
was  actively  interested  in  the  building  of  the  present 
Washington  Street  Church,  together  with  Mr.  Thomas 
Branch,  Mr.  Williams  T.  Davis  and  others.  He  was 
one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Southern  Female  Col¬ 
lege,  of  which  Mr.  Davis  was  president. 

He  died  about  two  years  before  the  War  Between 
the  States,  aged  forty-five  years.  This  family  has 
given  largely  of  its  members  to  Washington  Street, 
and  at  the  present  time  Mrs.  W.  J.  Purdy  and  Mrs. 
B.  H.  Marks,  granddaughters,  are  valued  and  useful 
members  of  the  church. 

THOMAS  WALLACE,  LL.  D.— 1844-1847 

Thomas  Wallace  was  born  September  7,  1812, 
died  in  Petersburg,  May  14,  1868. 

A  prominent  and  successful  member  of  the  Pe¬ 
tersburg  Bar,  a  member  of  the  Virginia  Legislature, 
and  at  one  time,  Mayor  of  the  city. 

He  was  an  honored  Steward  and  also  Superin¬ 
tendent  of  the  Sunday  School.  Mr.  Wallace  later 
connected  himself  with  the  Baptist  denomination,  of 
which  his  wife  was  a  devoted  member,  and  became 
a  prominent  and  very  zealous  worker  in  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Petersburg. 

He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character,  of  wide  in¬ 
fluence,  and  was  held  in  the  highest  estimation  by  all. 


200 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


E.  P.  NASH— 1847-1856 

He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  book-sellers  of  the  South. 
His  store  was  under  what  was  known  as  Library  Hall, 
now  occupied  by  the  Virginia  Railway  and  Power  Co., 
on  the  corner  of  Bollingbrook  and  Sycamore  Streets. 
He  especially  interested  himself  in  pianos  and  musical 
instruments  of  all  kinds.  He  lived  on  Union  Street. 
His  son  moved  to  Atlanta,  and  his  grandson  was  sta¬ 
tioned  at  Camp  Lee  during  the  last  war. 

JOHN  ENNISS -1848-1859 

John  Enniss  was  the  youngest  of  three  children, 
whose  parents  were  John  Enniss  and  Ann  Peterson. 
He  was  born  at  Bermuda  Hundred,  Chesterfield 
County,  Virginia,  on  October  2,  1799.  His  father 
was  captain  of  a  sailing  vessel,  plying  in  those  days 
from  City  Point,  Va.,  to  Liverpool,  and  was  lost  at 
sea,  when  his  youngest  son  was  quite  a  small  boy. 

Early  in  life,  John  Enniss  made  Petersburg  his 
home,  and  throughout  his  long  life,  which  was  spent 
in  this  city,  he  was  regarded  and  looked  upon  as  one 
of  the  most  exemplary  and  substantial  citizens. 

He  was  twice  married,  and  many  of  his  grand¬ 
children  and  great  grand-children  are  today  resi¬ 
dents  of  the  city. 

He  was  kind,  very  generous,  and  loving  in  dispo¬ 
sition,  rather  retiring  in  his  nature,  and  deeply  pious 
and  conscientious  in  all  matters.  He  was  always 
ready  and  willing  to  undertake  anything  for  the  up¬ 
building  and  advancement  of  the  Church,  and  his 
hospitable  home  was  always  known  as  the  “Preach¬ 
er’s  Home” — one  room  being  set  apart  as  the 
“Preacher’s  Room.” 

As  an  evidence  of  his  deep  devotion  to  the  Church, 
in  1845,  when  Wesley  Chapel  was  organized,  he  be- 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  201 

came  the  first  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School, 
which  position,  he  held  for  sometime,  retaining  his 
membership  in  Washington  Street  Church.  After 
Market  Street  M.  E.  Church  (now  Trinity)  was  built 
in  1857,  he  removed  his  membership  to  that  church 
(the  same  being  more  convenient  for  him  to  attend) 
where  he  remained  a  loyal  and  devoted  member  un¬ 
til  his  death,  which  occurred  on  January  23,  1887, 
being  in  the  88th  year  of  his  age. 

PETER  FITZ  COGBILL— 1854-1859 

Born  February  2,  1815;  died  May  19,  1889;  aged  74. 

Mr.  Cogbill  joined  Union  Street  Methodist  Church 
in  1842,  later  he  was  one  of  ninety-three  members  who 
were  given  by  Washington  Street  to  build  up  Market 
Street,  now  Trinity,  Church.  He  was  Chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Stewards  of  Market  Street  Church,  and 
also  Chairman  of  the  Building  Committee. 

In  those  days  it  meant  more  to  join  the  church 
than  apparently  it  does  now.  Before  being  taken  into 
full  membership,  he  was  kept  on  trial  for  six  months, 
which  was  a  rule  of  the  Church,  and  as  it  was  against 
the  rules  to  wear  jewelry  and  costly  apparel,  he  had 
to  dispense  with  his  diamond  studs,  gold  watch  chain, 
and  ruffled  shirt  bosoms. 

Mr.  Cogbill  was  very  active  in  church  and  Sunday 
School  work.  He  was  especially  interested  in  Sun¬ 
day  School  work,  and  taught  the  Bible  Class  for  a 
number  of  years.  When  President  of  the  Sunday 
School  Association  he  took  great  pleasure  in  visiting 
the  Sunday  Schools  of  the  city,  and  called  himself 
the  “Itinerant  Superintendent.” 

Mr.  Cogbill  was  at  one  time  engaged  in  the  flour 
milling  business  in  Petersburg;  was  subsequently  a 
commission  merchant  for  many  years,  and  at  the 


202 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


time  of  his  death  was  Collector  of  Customs  for  the 
port  of  Petersburg. 

He  was  survived  by  his  widow  who  was  Caroline 
Matilda  Manson,  of  Brunswick  County,  Va.,  and 
eight  children.  His  son,  Maclin  B.  Cogbill,  is  now  a 
steward  of  Washington  Street  Church. 

He  was  a  Methodist  of  the  “Old  School,”  faith¬ 
fully  keeping  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  church 
and  fighting  the  World,  the  Flesh,  and  the  Devil  all 
the  days  of  his  life. 

N.  F.  RIVES— 1856-1859 

He  was  a  druggist  and  kept  a  store  where  James 
P.  Banks  now  conducts  his  drug  store,  near  the  cor¬ 
ner  of  Sycamore  and  Washington  Streets,  under  the 
name  of  Rives  &  Proctor.  He  left  Petersburg  and 
went  to  Texas  to  live.  He  is  thought  to  have  been 
related  to  the  Rives  family,  of  Dinwiddie  county. 

SAMUEL  DRUMMOND— 1858-1865 

Samuel  Drummond  was  born  in  1816.  His  father 
was  a  Scotchman,  but  his  two  sons,  Samuel  and  Wil¬ 
liam,  were  born  in  this  county. 

He  was  married  twice,  his  first  wife  being  Delilah 
Stell  and  his  second  wife  was  Emily  Porter. 

He  was  the  father  of  eight  children,  seven  daugh¬ 
ters  and  one  son,  who  lived  to  be  grown. 

Samuel  Drummond  was  a  shoe  merchant  in  Peters¬ 
burg.  He  lived  on  Bollingbrook  Street  in  the  old 
Drummond  residence,  which  is  still  standing,  but  is 
now  known  as  the  Jarratt  residence.  During  the 
Civil  War  a  shell  struck  the  corner  of  the  house  and 
the  family  had  to  move  out. 

Samuel  Drummond  died  September  2,  1866. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  203 


GEORGE  BENJAMIN  JONES— 1858-1864 

George  Benjamin  Jones  was  born  in  Sussex 
County,  Va.,  1822,  the  only  son  and  youngest  of  nine 
children,  of  George  Jones  and  Anna  Parham. 

He  was  educated  at  Randolph-Macon  College, 
then  at  Boydton,  Va.,  and  graduated  with  the  first 
honors  of  his  class.  For  two  years  afterwards  he  was 
professor  at  that  college.  In  Petersburg  he  was  al¬ 
ways  a  druggist,  first  having  charge  of  his  father-in- 
law’s  store  and  later  having  his  own  store,  where  he 
was  preparing  to  have  a  laboratory  when  his  life 
was  suddenly  brought  to  a  close  on  June  9,  1864. 
He  was  one  of  that  noble  band  of  men,  who  gave  up 
their  lives  in  defense  of  their  home. 

Mr.  Jones  was  devoutly  pious  and  came  from  an 
ancestry  of  great  Methodists.  His  grandfather,  . 
George  Jones,  helped  to  build  old  Jones’  Church  in 
Sussex  County — whose  name  it  still  bears. 

He  was  a  man  of  singular  purity  of  life,  a  profound 
scholar,  a  musician  and  one  of  the  most  beloved  men 
of  his  time. 

In  1847  he  married  Annabella  Major,  the  daugh¬ 
ter  of  Francis  Major,  who  survived  him  with  seven 
children — four  sons. 

A.  B.  MAHOOD— 1858-1878 

Alexander  Benjamin  Mahood,  the  son  of  Rev. 
George  Mahood  and  Elizabeth  Ellis  Mahood,  was  born 
in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  August  5,  1825.  He  died  in 
Roanoke,  Virginia,  February  20,  1898. 

He  joined  Washington  Street  Church  in  childhood 
and  as  a  youth  was  active  in  Sunday  school  work.  He 
continued  active  in  Sunday  school  and  church  work 
throughout  his  life,  being  a  Sunday  school  teacher, 


204 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


class  leader  and  steward  of  Washington  Street  church 
while  residing  in  Petersburg,  and  later  on  did  similar 
work  in  Court  Street  and  Memorial  churches,  Lynch¬ 
burg,  Virginia,  and  in  Trinity  Church,  Roanoke, 
Virginia. 

On  September  16,  1857,  he  married  Miss  Helen 
Walker  Phillips,  daughter  of  Colonel  John  A.  and 
Martha  Gary  Phillips,  of  Prince  George  county. 

He  was  engaged  in  the  clothing  business,  being  of 
the  firm  of  Mahood  &  Lee,  and  later  of  Mahood  &  Bro. 
He  subsequently  was  teller  of  one  of  the  Petersburg 
banks,  located  on  Bank  Street. 

He  became  assistant  treasurer  of  the  Atlanta,  Mis¬ 
sissippi  and  Ohio  Railroad  in  1871.  He  continued  with 
this  road  and  its  successors  until  his  death,  moving 
to  Lynchburg  in  1878  and  to  Roanoke  in  1895. 

P.  H.  BOOTH— 1860-1896 

P.  H.  Booth,  born  August  8,  1820;  died  March  23, 
1896. 

He  was  a  son  of  Col.  Samuel  Booth,  of  Surry  Co., 
Va.,  and  married  Miss  Anne  Maynard,  of  Surry  Co. 
He  came  to  Petersburg  in  1838  and  lived  here  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  merchant  on  Bollingbrook  St. 
until  the  war  of  1861,  when  he  became  active  in  the 
quartermaster’s  service  of  the  Confederacy.  After 
the  war  between  the  States  he  conducted  a  whole¬ 
sale  commission  house  on  Sycamore  St.,  and  became 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  town.  He  was 
a  director  in  various  enterprises  of  the  city  and  at  one 
time  was  a  member  of  the  Council  of  the  City  of 
Petersburg. 

He  made  a  profession  of  religion  in  1857  under 
the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  John  E.  Edwards.  He  joined 
Washington  Street  Church  and  was  a  steward  from 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  205 

1860  until  his  death  thirty-six  years  later.  At  one 
time  was  a  class  leader  and  took  an  active  and  in¬ 
tense  interest  in  all  the  activities  of  the  church. 

One  of  his  sons,  S.  W.  Booth,  and  two  of  his  grand¬ 
sons,  P.  H.  Booth  and  P.  H.  Drewry,  are  now  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Board  of  Stewards  of  Washington  Street 
Church. 

He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity,  abhorring 
a  lie,  and  strong  in  his  sense  of  financial  obligations. 
With  firm  principles  of  morality,  courageous  in  the 
expression  of  his  views,  and  kindly  in  his  feelings,  his 
stewardship  was  conscientiously  and  religiously  con¬ 
ducted  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  Church. 

WESLEY  GRIGG— 1864-1866 

Wesley  Grigg,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
Grigg,  was  born  in  Dinwiddie  County,  Virginia,  Nov. 
25,  1815. 

He  married  in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  on  October 
31,  1839,  Augustina  Frances  Peyton  Wells  and  died 
in  Petersburg,  February  23,  1867. 

Wesley  Grigg  removed  to  Petersburg,  Virginia, 
when  quite  a  young  man  to  enter  the  commission 
business,  which  business  he  followed  until  his  death. 
He  held  many  positions  of  trust  in  his  church  and  in 
the  city. 

FRANCIS  MAJOR— 1864-1869 

Francis  Major  was  born  in  Dinwiddie  County,  Vir¬ 
ginia,  in  1802  and  died  in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  May 
7,  1869. 

For  many  years  he  was  a  school  teacher  and  when 
his  health  failed,  a  few  years  before  the  Civil  War, 
he  went  into  business  and  owned  a  drug  store,  which 
was  run  by  his  son-in-law,  George  B.  Jones. 


206 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Mr.  Major  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school — 
strong  in  principle,  stern  in  devotion  to  duty,  giving 
religion  and  education  the  first  place  in  his  life.  He 
was  for  years  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  and 
was  on  the  first  Public  School  Board  of  this  city. 

On  June  9,  1864,  when  the  Court  House  bell  rang, 
he,  though  an  old  man,  shouldered  his  musket  and 
went  out  to  the  defense  of  his  city. 

He  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  Confederacy  and 
after  its  fall  and  the  reverses  which  followed,  he 
was  completely  broken  in  spirit,  dying  of  a  broken 
heart  four  years  later. 

JOHN  W.  BRADBURY— 1865-1904 

John  W.  Bradbury  was  a  notable  person  in  Peters¬ 
burg,  Virginia,  during  nearly  half  a  century.  He  was 
born  in  York,  Maine,  December  12,  1827,  and  in 
1847  came  to  Petersburg  to  assist  his  half-brother, 
the  late  T.  Washington  Bradbury,  in  the  dry  goods 
business.  In  November,  1855,  he  married  Miss  Ann 
Eliza  Wells,  a  most  estimable  and  faithful  woman  of 
God. 

After  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Bradbury  became  a  hard¬ 
ware  merchant.  From  this  business  he  retired  Feb¬ 
ruary  1,  1897,  after  having  accumulated  a  consider¬ 
able  fortune  by  dint  of  personal  skill,  painstaking  in¬ 
dustry,  unremitting  perseverance  and  systematic 
honesty. 

In  his  seventy-seventh  year  he  closed  a  long  life 
of  usefulness.  The  funeral  service  was  conducted 
in  Washington  Street  Church,  to  whose  interests  he 
consecrated  his  young  manhood  many  years  ago.  As  a 
member  of  the  City  Council  or  the  School  Board,  or  as 
President  of  the  Methodist  Orphan  Asylum  of  Pe¬ 
tersburg,  he  was  always  ready  to  do  his  part  in 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  207 


serving  the  public.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
State  Board  of  Charities  and  Corrections,  and  one 
of  the  curators  of  the  Virginia  Conference  Orphan¬ 
age  at  Richmond. 

He  was  for  a  long  term  of  years  Recording  Stew¬ 
ard  of  Washington  Street  station,  and  was  frequently 
sent,  as  the  choice  of  his  brethren,  to  represent  them 
in  sessions  of  the  District  Conference  as  well  as  the 
Annual  Conference. 

In  his  place  of  residence,  the  Methodist  preacher 
always  found  a  genial  salutation  and  a  cordial  wel¬ 
come.  A  number  of  the  Bishops  of  the  Southern 
Methodist  Church  partook  of  his  hospitality  during 
many  sessions  of  the  Virginia  Conference  in  Peters¬ 
burg,  and  he  was  never  happier  than  when  enter¬ 
taining  the  prophets  of  God. 

T.  L.  H.  YOUNG— 1867-1886 

Thaddeus  Luther  Howard  Young  was  born  in  Din- 
widdie  County,  Va.,  on  April  15,  1829. 

He  was  prepared  for  college  at  the  various  schools 
of  his  home  county,  having  also  a  course  at  Ran- 
dolph-Macon  Academy  before  the  regular  four  years’ 
college  course  at  Randolph-Macon  College,  which  he 
completed  with  distinction  in  1854.  He  won  the  vale¬ 
dictory  in  his  class,  and  after  serving  his  alma  mater 
as  tutor  for  one  year,  was  elected  to  a  full  professor¬ 
ship.  After  attaining  this,  his  health  became  so  im¬ 
paired  that,  after  consulting  many  physicians,  he  was 
forced  to  live  an  outdoor  life.  This  changed  the  whole 
course  of  his  life,  as  instead  of  in  the  professor’s 
chair,  his  life-work  was  begun  as  owner  of  a  saw-mill, 
working  regularly  with  and  as  one  of  his  own  op¬ 
eratives. 


208 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


He  married  about  this  time,  Miss  Lucy  Prince, 
daughter  of  Col.  John  Prince,  of  Prince  Edward  Co., 
Va.  He  soon  settled  on  a  farm,  in  his  native  county 
and  there  most  of  his  early  married  life  was  passed. 
About  1869  he  moved  to  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  be¬ 
came  at  once  thoroughly  identified  with  and  vigor¬ 
ously  engaged  in,  every  interest  of  his  town  and 
church,  serving  the  latter  as  Assistant  Sunday 
School  Superintendent  for  years  and  as  Steward  con¬ 
tinuously  until  moving  to  North  Carolina  in  1888. 

On  Sept.  23,  1873,  he  was  again  married  to  Miss 
Emily  Davis,  daughter  of  W.  T.  Davis,  president  and 
founder  of  Southern  Female  College,  of  Petersburg, 
Va. 


WILLIAMS  T.  DAVIS— 1867-1888 

Williams  Thomas  Davis  was  born  in  Gloucester 
County,  Virginia,  February  6,  1817.  In  1851  he  re¬ 
moved  to  this  city.  During  the  first  four  years  of 
his  residence  here  he  taught  a  private  school,  and  in 
1855  began  his  work  as  Professor  of  Latin  and  Math¬ 
ematics  in  the  Petersburg  Female  College.  He  con¬ 
tinued  his  connection  with  this  institution  until  he 
founded  the  Southern  Female  College  of  this  city  in 
1862.  Of  this  college  he  became  president,  a  posi¬ 
tion  which  he  held,  with  the  exception  of  a  brief  in¬ 
terval  in  Danville,  Virginia,  during  the  siege  of  Pe¬ 
tersburg,  until  death  ended  his  work  on  the  17th  of 
July,  1888.  Thus  for  more  than  half  a  century  he 
was  continuously  engaged  in  the  instruction  of 
youth.  Prof.  Davis  loved  his  calling.  He  did  not 
teach  as  a  mere  expedient  or  makeshift.  He  lives 
and  speaks  in  the  life  and  character  of  hundreds  of 
men  and  women  who  in  their  youth  sat  as  learners  at 
his  feet. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  209 


For  fifteen  years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sun¬ 
day  School  of  the  Washington  Street  Church,  and 
from  the  date  of  his  connection  with  it,  excepting  a 
short  period  during  the  war,  his  name  has  held  its 
place  on  the  roll  of  its  officers  and  teachers. 

He  loved  the  Church,  and  understood  and  loved  its 
doctrines  and  polity.  He  was  affable,  upright,  a 
Christian  gentleman.  He  was  decided  in  his  opin¬ 
ions,  strong  in  his  convictions,  and  had  the  moral 
courage  to  express  and  maintain  them;  but  he  was 
courteous  to  all  who  differed  with  him. 

GEORGE  V.  SCOTT— 1867-1886 

George  Veil  Scott  was  born  in  Hertford  county,  N. 
C.,  April  19,  1810. 

About  the  year  1833  he  came  to  this  city  and  en¬ 
gaged  in  the  dry  goods  business,  first  in  the  firm  of 
Peebles  &  Scott,  then  in  that  of  Peebles,  Scott  &  White. 
During  the  last  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  he  was 
engaged  in  lumber,  coal  and  shipping  business. 

He  took  an  active  part  in  improving  the  navigation 
of  Appomattox  River  and  the  harbor  of  Petersburg, 
and  was  at  one  time  president  of  the  Board  of  Direc¬ 
tors  having  the  management  of  this  work. 

He  was  one  of  the  noble  band  who  defended  and 
saved  Petersburg,  on  the  memorable  9th  of  June,  1864. 
In  this  battle  he  was  so  severely  wounded  that  he 
was  confined  to  his  bed  for  many  months,  and  to  the 
day  of  his  death  he  suffered  from  the  effects  of  the 
wounds  thus  received. 

On  the  22d  of  October,  1844,  he  was  united  in  mar¬ 
riage  with  Miss  Rebecca  Clarke.  The  marriage  cere¬ 
mony  was  conducted  by  Rev.  Edward  Wadsworth  in 
the  Washington  Street  M.  E.  Church. 


210 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


For  more  than  forty  years  he  was  the  prompt,  ef¬ 
ficient  and  faithful  secretary  of  the  Sunday  school, 
conducted  first  in  the  Union  Street  and  then  in  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  M.  E.  Church.  For  twenty  successive 
years  he  was  annually  elected  to  the  office  of  secretary, 
and  held  it  till  the  day  of  his  death,  though  toward 
the  last  he  was  incapacitated  by  feeble  health. 

His  fidelity  and  energy  in  all  works  pertaining  to 
the  welfare  of  the  church  marked  him  out  as  one  who 
could  safely  and  advantageously  be  made  a  leader.  In 
the  year  1866  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  his  Church,  and  at  the  death  of  D’Arcy 
Paul  was  made  chairman  of  that  Board,  which  office 
he  held  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  the  year  1867  he  was  made  a  steward  of  his 
church,  and  subsequently  made  chairman  of  this 
Board,  to  which  position  he  was  regularly  re-elected 
till  feeble  health  forced  him  to  decline  it.  The  welfare 
of  his  state,  his  city  and  the  church  of  God  were  the 
subjects  of  his  study  and  the  desire  of  his  heart.  He 
delighted  to  labor  for  the  good  of  his  fellow  citizens. 
He  died  in  1886. 

LOUIS  L.  MARKS — 1869-1910 

Born  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  May  13,  1837;  died  in 
1910.  Went  to  V.  M.  I.,  where  he  graduated  in 
1858.  Was  a  merchant  until  the  war  between  the 
States,  when  he  joined  the  army  with  rank  of  cap¬ 
tain.  Served  with  distinction  and  was  severely 
wounded  at  the  second  battle  of  Manassas.  When 
he  recovered  was  placed  in  the  Quartermaster  Corps 
and  was  stationed  at  Petersburg  during  the  siege.  An 
old  book  containing  some  of  the  records  of  Washing¬ 
ton  Street  Church  also  contains  his  accounts  with 
the  Confederate  States.  Paper  was  scarce  and  both 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  211 

records  were  kept  in  the  same  book.  He  surrendered 
with  Gen.  Johnson  at  Greensboro  and  returned  to 
Petersburg  and  went  into  the  lumber  business. 

He  was  converted  under  Dr.  J.  A.  Duncan  in  1887 
at  Washington  Street  Church  and  joined  the  Sunday 
School  at  once,  soon  thereafter  being  made  teacher. 
He  was  elected  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School 
in  1870  and  prided  himself  on  never  being  absent 
from  the  school  except  when  sick  or  out  of  the  city. 
He  was  a  superintendent  for  thirty  years.  Capt. 
Marks  had  a  wonderful  influence  on  the  scholars  in  his 
school,  and  his  work  in  the  Sunday  School  was  a 
notable  achievement. 

He  was  a  member  of  Board  of  Trustees  of  Ran- 
dolph-Macon  College,  member  of  the  Virginia  An¬ 
nual  Conference  as  lay  delegate  for  many  years  and 
Treasurer  in  1885  of  the  Joint  Board  of  Finance, 
delegate  to  the  General  Conference  from  the  Vir¬ 
ginia  Conference  in  1882  and  was  on  the  Committee 
on  Sunday  Schools. 

His  was  a  beautiful  life  of  service  to  his  State,  his 
city,  and  his  church.  Few  men  were  loved  univer¬ 
sally  as  he  was  beloved  and  few  men  ever  exerted  a 
greater  but  quiet  influence  by  force  of  his  example. 
The  good  he  did  lives  after  him  and  his  memory  still 
is  green  in  the  hearts  of  many  of  his  Sunday  School 
pupils. 

GEORGE  PEACE— 1869-1869 

George  Peace  was  born  in  1823  and  died  in  1872. 
Was  married  in  1845  to  Miss  Adeline  Jarratt,  of  Sus¬ 
sex  county,  Virginia. 

He  was  a  retail  and  wholesale  confectioner,  and  lived 
from  infancy  in  Petersburg.  He  was  a  class  leader 


212 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


in  the  church  for  a  long  while.  His  daughters  were 
active  workers  in  the  church  until  they  removed  to 
Wilson,  and  one  of  them  married  Mr.  James  Leath,  a 
steward  of  the  church. 

WILLIAM  A.  SHEPARD— 1869-1870 

Born  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  June  26,  1833.  Died 
June  3,  1895. 

Receiving  his  earlier  education  in  Boston,  Mass., 
Major  Shepard’s  first  contact  with  Virginia  came  after 
his  mother’s  death  when  he  was  sent  to  Randolph- 
Macon  College,  then  located  at  Boydton,  Va.  After 
graduating  with  honors  in  1849,  he  was  elected  as¬ 
sistant  professor  of  chemistry  in  that  institution 
during  the  time  when  Dr.  William  A.  Smith  was  its 
honored  president.  There  the  young  instructor  rap¬ 
idly  imbibed  those  Southern  principles  so  much  to  the 
fore  in  those  seething  days,  so  that  when  War  Between 
the  States  was  declared  in  1861  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
cast  in  his  lot  with  the  land  of  his  adoption.  Having 
made  many  friends  in  Petersburg,  he  went  out  from 
that  city  as  private  in  the  Petersburg  Riflemen  (Com¬ 
pany  E,  Twelfth  Virginia  Regiment,  Mahone’s  Bri¬ 
gade,  Anderson’s  Division,  A.  P.  Hill’s  Corps).  He 
was  wounded  in  the  battle  at  Seven  Pines,  received  a 
ball  in  his  thigh,  which  he  carried  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  Notwithstanding  this  he  was  with  his  regi¬ 
ment  during  the  battles  of  Crampton’s  Gap  and 
Sharpsburg,  after  which  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  major  and  appointed  commissary,  serving  until  the 
end  of  the  war. 

He  married  Miss  Mattie  E.  Davis,  oldest  daughter 
of  Williams  T.  Davis,  president  and  founder  of  the 
Southern  Female  College,  Petersburg,  Va. 

After  the  war  Major  Shepard  located  in  Peters¬ 
burg,  taught  in  its  college,  joined  the  Washington 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  213 

Street  M.  E.  Church,  and  for  years  took  an  active 
part  in  all  its  interests,  both  as  one  of  the  Board  of 
Stewards,  and  at  one  time  superintendent  of  its  Sun¬ 
day  school. 

Soon  after  Randolph-Macon  College  was  moved  to 
Ashland,  Va.,  he  was  elected  professor  of  chemistry, 
and,  with  his  wife,  moved  to  the  new  site  of  the  col¬ 
lege,  where  he  resided  till  his  death. 

Interested  in  civic  affairs  there  also,  he  was  for 
years  mayor  of  Ashland,  at  the  same  time  filling  the 
offices  of  superintendent  of  Sunday  school  and  steward 
of  the  Duncan  Memorial  Church — admired  and  loved 
by  both  citizens  and  students.  Of  a  sunny  tempera¬ 
ment,  Major  Shepard’s  characteristic  traits  were  per¬ 
fect  simplicity  and  transparent  truthfulness — a  playful 
humor  and  at  the  same  time  a  conscientious  obedience 
to  the  conviction  of  his  own  soul  and  to  the  command¬ 
ments  of  his  God. 

JAMES  BRAXTON  BLANKS*— 1873 

Born  in  the  city  of  Petersburg  January  9,  1839.  He 
received  his  early'  education  under  the  “chastening 
rod”  of  “Daddy”  Keiley  at  Anderson  Seminary. 

His  mother,  Ann  Elizabeth  Blanks,  was  a  member 
of  Washington  Street  Church  before  the  present  build¬ 
ing  was  erected  in  1842,  and  when  the  congregation 
worshipped  in  their  former  building  on  Union  Street. 
Mr.  Blanks  was  taken  to  Sunday  school  in  early  youth 
and  has  been  a  regular  attendant  for  more  than  three 
quarters  of  a  century.  He  became  a  member  of  the 
church  in  1852  at  the  age  of  thirteen  and  has  been  a 
consistent  member  for  seventy-one  years,  serving  the 
church  in  various  offices  and  being  intimately  asso¬ 
ciated  with  its  progress  and  growth.  Since  1872  he 
has  served  continuously  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Stewards.  For  a  while  he  was  superintendent  of  the 


214 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Sunday  school.  He  is  at  present  chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  church.  He  was  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  Sunday  School  Association 
of  the  city  of  Petersburg,  and  for  several  years  held 
the  position  of  president. 

When  a  young  man  his  religious  temperament  and 
desire  to  serve  his  fellow  man  caused  him  to  enter 
many  of  the  fraternal  organizations,  and  in  all  of 
these  he  held  positions  of  honor,  both  in  the  city  and 
state  councils.  For  twenty-five  years  he  was  Grand 
Secretary  of  the  Royal  Arch  Masons  in  Virginia  and 
Grand  Recorder  of  the  Grand  Commandery  Knights 
Templar  of  Virginia,  both  of  which  positions  he  now 
holds  “emeritus  ad  vitam.”  He  was  also  Grand  Sec¬ 
retary  of  the  Grand  Council  Royal  Arcanum  of  Vir¬ 
ginia  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Mr.  Blanks  is  per¬ 
haps  the  oldest  affiliated  Odd  Fellow  in  Virginia,  being 
Past  Grand  Master  of  Virginia  and  Past  Grand  Rep¬ 
resentative  of  the  Sovereign  Grand  Lodge  of  America. 

Mr.  Blanks  served  in  the  Civil  War  as  a  member 
of  and  is  now  a  member  of  A.  P.  Hill  Camp,  Confed¬ 
erate  Veterans. 

Mr.  Blanks’  commercial  life  was  devoted  principally 
to  banking  until  he  was  elected  commissioner  of  the 
revenue  of  the  city  in  1888,  from  which  position  he  re¬ 
tired  in  1896  to  devote  his  time  to  his  fraternal  offices. 

On  April  4,  1860,  he  married  Mary  Jane  Farley, 
of  Martinsville,  Virginia.  Three  children  are  still 
living,  Miss  Ruth  White  Blanks,  Wallace  Duncan 
Blanks  and  Mrs.  R.  Milford  Woody,  all  members  of 
Washington  Street  Church. 

GEORGE  CARY  STARKE,  M.  D.— 1873-1898 

George  Cary  Starke  was  born  at  East  View,  Din- 
widdie  Co.,  Va.,  July  10,  1830.  Died  in  Petersburg, 
November  20,  1898.  He  attended  the  University  of 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  215 


Virginia,  graduated  in  medicine  at  the  University 
of  New  York  in  1851  and  from  there  went  to  Paris, 
where  he  pursued  his  studies  in  the  School  of  Medi¬ 
cine  of  that  city.  On  returning  to  America  he  set¬ 
tled  in  Greensville  County,  Virginia,  where  he  suc¬ 
cessfully  practiced  his  profession  many  years. 

Dr.  Starke  was  commissioned  “Assistant  Surgeon 
with  the  rank  of  Captain,  in  the  Active  Forces  of  the 
State,”  May  4,  1861,  by  Governor  John  Letcher  and 
served  throughout  the  Civil  War,  being  stationed  at 
Mulberry  Island,  Jamestown  Island  and  Chimborazo 
Hospital,  Richmond,  Va. 

In  1873  he  removed  from  Greensville  to  Peters¬ 
burg  and  soon  afterwards  engaged  in  the  drug  busi¬ 
ness  in  which  he  continued  until  failing  health  neces¬ 
sitated  his  retirement  in  1893. 

A  man  of  unusual  intelligence,  of  marked  in¬ 
tegrity,  an  earnest  Christian  whose  moral  worth  was 
recognized  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

JOHN  R.  TURNER— 1873-1904 

Born  in  Warren  county,  N.  C.,  September  4,  1837 ; 
moved  to  Petersburg  just  before  the  Civil  War;  served 
in  the  Confederate  army  throughout  the  war,  after¬ 
wards  returning  to  Petersburg,  where  he  resided  until 
his  death  in  1904.  Was  consequently  active  in  the 
work  of  Washington  Street  Church,  especially  in  the 
Sunday  school,  in  which  he  labored  as  teacher,  assist¬ 
ant  superintendent,  and  superintendent. 

RICHARD  BEALE  DAVIS— 1876-1917 

Richard  Beale  Davis  was  born  at  Hickory  Ground, 
Norfolk  County,  Virginia,  February  5,  1845.  Died 
in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  July  11,  1917.  He  was  the 


216 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


son  of  Williams  Thomas  Davis  and  Elizabeth  Tayloe 
Corbin  Beale  Davis.  Was  graduated  from  Randolph- 
Macon  College,  1861,  with  degree  of  A.  B. 

From  1862  to  1865  he  was  a  member  of  Co.  E, 
12th  Virginia  Infantry,  Mahone’s  Brigade,  and  par¬ 
ticipated  in  all  the  battles  in  which  that  brigade  took 
part,  including  the  battle  of  the  Crater.  He  proved 
himself  a  gallant  soldier  throughout  the  Civil  War. 

In  1870  Mr.  Davis  received  his  LL.  B.  degree  from 
the  University  of  Virginia  and  began  the  practice  of 
law  in  Petersburg  in  1871  and  continued  till  his 
death. 

On  April  20,  1875,  he  married  Miss  Anne  Warrick 
Hall,  daughter  of  Rev.  Charles  H.  Hall. 

Mr.  Davis  served  Petersburg  and  the  State  of  Vir¬ 
ginia  in  many  political  positions.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Virginia  House  of  Delegates  1875-7,  1902-4. 
City  Attorney  General  in  1911-1914  and  a  member  of 
the  Legislative  Committee  to  revise  the  statutes  of 
Virginia  1902.  Trustee  of  Randolph-Macon  College 
since  1876.  Trustee  of  Methodist  Female  Orphan 
Asylum  of  Petersburg  since  the  Orphanage  was 
founded.  He  was  for  many  years  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Stewards.  He  was  the  teacher  of  the  Old 
Ship  of  Zion  Bible  Class  in  Washington  Street  Sunday 
School  for  a  long  number  of  years,  and  gave  it  his  best 
thought  and  unstinted  work. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Ran¬ 
dolph-Macon  College  from  1876,  and  his  wise  counsel 
contributed  largely  to  the  magnificent  success  of  the 
College. 

But  it  was  neither  as  soldier  nor  legislator  nor 
lawyer  that  Mr.  Davis  will  be  best  and  longest  re¬ 
membered  by  the  many  friends  that  he  made  and 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  217 


kept.  His  personal  qualities  of  joyousness,  of  sim¬ 
plicity  and  of  fidelity  to  his  friends  endeared  him  to 
all. 

WILLIAM  PLEASANT  TAYLOR — -187 6-1884 

William  Pleasant  Taylor  was  born  in  Brunswick 
county,  Va.,  May  29,  1842,  and  died  in  Petersburg, 
Va.,  December  27,  1883. 

In  1861,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war  he  en¬ 
tered  as  a  soldier  in  the  Confederate  army  in  an  infan¬ 
try  company  from  Dinwiddie  and  served  with  credit 
till  peace  was  declared. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  employed 
by  the  Petersburg  Railroad  Company,  first  at  Gaston 
and  then  at  Weldon,  N.  C.  Serving  with  fidelity  and 
efficiency,  he  was  advanced  by  the  company  and  in 
1872  was  given  a  place  in  its  office  at  Petersburg,  Va. 

In  1869,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Hall, 
he  professed  conversion,  and  at  once  connected  himself 
with  Washington  Street  M.  E.  Church,  South,  in 
Petersburg,  and  in  August,  1871,  was  appointed  to 
teach,  and  placed  in  charge  of  a  class  of  boys.  From 
that  time  till  his  death  he  continued  to  teach  and  was 
exceptionally  punctual  in  attendance  and  keenly  alive 
to  the  interest  of  his  class,  as  well  as  to  that  of  the 
entire  school. 

J.  M.  LEATH— 1876-1886 

He  joined  the  church  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Pearson,  and  was  assistant  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  for  several  years.  He  was  in  the  dry 
goods  business  on  upper  Sycamore  Street  for  about 
eighteen  years,  and  then  moved  to  North  Carolina, 
and  from  there  to  Florida,  where  he  now  lives. 


218 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


RICHARD  A.  HARRISON— 1877-1917 

He  was  born  at  the  family  homestead,  “Mount  Pleas¬ 
ant,”  in  Prince  George  county,  in  1838,  the  son  of  Dr. 
Robert  and  Susan  Eppes  Harrison.  He  came  to  Peters¬ 
burg  as  a  young  man,  and  was  a  wholesale  merchant 
for  nearly  sixty  years.  He  married  a  daughter  of 
B.  P.  Harrison,  one  of  the  early  stewards  of  this 
church. 

He  was  a  gallant  Confederate  soldier  and  was 
wounded  in  the  defense  of  Petersburg  on  the  9th  of 
June,  1864. 

He  served  as  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  church 
many  years.  A  beautiful  window  in  the  church  has 
been  placed  by  his  widow  as  a  memorial. 

E.  W.  BUTCHER,  SR.*— 1877— 

Born  in  1850,  he  has  spent  all  his  life  in  Petersburg, 
a  respected  and  honored  citizen.  Secretary  of  Peters¬ 
burg  Savings  and  Trust  Company,  formerly  Peters¬ 
burg  Savings  and  Insurance  Company,  since  1875. 
Vice-president  and  general  manager  of  Petersburg  In¬ 
surance  Company  since  July  1,  1918. 

United  with  Washington  Street  Church  in  1870. 
Has  been  class  leader,  treasurer,  lay  leader,  librarian 
in  the  Sunday  school,  and  chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Stewards,  which  position  he  now  holds.  One  of  the 
real  “pillars”  of  the  church. 

CORNELIUS  D.  TINSLEY— 1878-1913 

He  was  born  in  Henrico  county,  Va.,  in  1837,  and 
was  a  lumber  manufacturer  in  Prince  George  county 
until  about  1878.  He  then  devoted  his  time  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  219 

handling  of  his  large  real  estate  interests  in  the  coun¬ 
ty,  and  moved  to  Petersburg. 

He  was  an  active  member  of  the  church  and  highly 
valued  for  his  services. 

N.  W.  NORSWORTHY— 1881-1883 

N.  W.  Norsworthy  was  born  in  Isle  of  Wight,  March 
6,  1838.  He  served  through  the  war,  and  at  the  close 
moved  to  Petersburg,  where  he  was  employed  with  the 
Norfolk  and  Western  Railroad.  He  never  severed  his 
connection  with  that  road,  being  in  their  service  fifty- 
three  years.  He  died  in  Crewe,  Va.,  in  1915,  and  is 
buried  in  Blandford  Cemetery,  Petersburg.  He  was  a 
very  enthusiastic  Mason  and  Knight  Templar.  He 
always  took  the  greatest  interest  in  Washington  Street 
Church  and  was  ever  punctual  at  the  church  services. 

LYMAN  EMERY  CLARKE— 1881-1886 

He  was  active  in  the  Sunday  school  and  church, 
and  was  for  a  number  of  years  treasurer.  He  was  a 
devoted  and  consistent  member  and  an  upright  citizen. 

DR.  HEZEKIAH  GILBERT  LEIGH— 1881-1898 

Dr.  Hezekiah  Gilbert  Leigh  was  born  near  Boyd- 
ton,  Mecklenburg  County,  at  the  seat  of  Randolph- 
Macon  College,  Virginia,  March  12,  1833.  He  was 
a  son  of  Rev.  H.  G.  Leigh,  D.  D.,  and  Mary  Jane 
Crump.  On  June  30,  1859,  he  married  Martha  Alice 
Moody,  daughter  of  Col.  John  Mason  Moody,  of 
Northampton  County,  N.  C.  Dr.  Leigh  received  his 
collegiate  education  at  Randolph-Macon  whence  he 
was  graduated  in  1851,  with  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts.  He  held  the  chair  of  Assistant-Professor  in 
this  College  until  1854.  He  took  his  degrees  in  Med- 


220 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


icine  from  the  University  of  Virginia  and  the  New 
York  Medical  College. 

When  the  war  between  the  States  began,  Dr. 
Leigh  tendered  his  services  to  the  Confederate  Gov¬ 
ernment  and  remained  in  service  through  the  war. 
He  was  for  two  years  first  surgeon  in  the  6th  Louisi¬ 
ana  Regiment,  Hays’  Brigade,  Jackson’s  corps,  then 
of  other  regiments,  and  in  1864-5  was  surgeon  in 
charge  of  General  Hospital  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  with 
rank  of  major.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned 
to  Petersburg  where  he  practiced  medicine  for 
thirty-six  years.  In  1881  he  was  made  a  steward  of 
this  church  which  he  served  faithfully  and  zealously 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  October  17,  1898. 

Whenever  you  met  Dr.  Leigh,  in  whatever  ca¬ 
pacity,  whether  as  physician,  man  of  affairs,  steward 
of  the  church,  head  of  his  family,  officer  of  the  city 
government,  you  found  a  gentleman,  one  of  nature’s 
noblemen.  His  was  a  busy,  active,  useful  career,  and 
God  took  him  before  the  day  of  his  usefulness  was 
done.  “From  the  activities  of  life  he  goes  to  the 
waveless  calm  of  perfect  peace.” 

RICHARD  LANGDON  KIDD— 1887-1906 

Richard  Langdon  Kidd,  son  of  Richard  L.  and 
Susan  Phipps  Kidd,  was  born  in  Brunswick  County, 
Virginia,  July  22,  1845.  He  served  in  the  Confed¬ 
erate  Army  during  the  war  between  the  States. 

In  1883  he  married  Nettie  A.  Southall,  daughter 
of  William  D.  and  Nancy  Gills  Southall,  of  Amelia 
County,  Virginia.  He  was  elected  a  steward  of  this 
church  in  1887.  For  several  years  he  was  secretary 
of  the  Sunday  School.  He  died  August  24,  1906. 

His  eldest  son,  Louis  L.,  is  now  a  steward  of  this 
church. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  221 


HUGH  COUSINS— 1887-1889 

Born  February  16,  1856;  died  August  9,  1891. 
Teacher  in  the  Sunday  school.  At  time  of  his  death 
he  was  the  general  secretary  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  of  Petersburg,  Va.  He  left  sur¬ 
viving  him  a  wife  and  two  children.  “He  enjoyed  the 
confidence  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  No 
man  could  stand  up  and  say  that  Hugh  Cousins  had 
been  guilty  of  an  unmanly  or  dishonorable  act.” 

WALTER  S.  ALLEY— 1890-1894 

Walter  S.  Alley  was  born  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  the 
eldest  son  of  Henry  T.  and  Alexina  Frances  Alley. 

Entered  the  University  School,  Mr.  Gordon  McCabe, 
head  master,  at  an  early  age  and  remained  until  about 
seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  service 
of  the  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Virginia,  Peters¬ 
burg,  Va. 

The  headquarters  of  the  company  were  removed  to 
Richmond,  Va.,  and  Mr.  Alley  remained  with  them 
several  years,  but  returned  to  Petersburg  in  1886  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Mcllwaine  &  Alley,  insurance 
agents. 

In  1896  Mr.  Alley  removed  to  New  York  City,  and 
for  the  past  twenty  years  has  been  identified  with 
prominent  fire  insurance  companies  as  assistant 
United  States  manager  and  vice-president. 

He  was  at  one  time  treasurer  of  the  church. 
WILLIAM  E.  RAMEY— 1890-1913 

Mr.  Ramey  was  city  treasurer  of  Petersburg  for 
nearly  eight  years,  and  had  discharged  the  duties  of 
the  office  efficiently  and  satisfactorily.  He  was  fifty- 
six  years  old,  was  a  native  of  Prince  George  county, 


222 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


and  for  many  years  before  election  as  treasurer  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Petersburg.  Wil¬ 
liam  E.  Ramey  was  a  native  of  Prince  George  county, 
and  was  for  a  long  time  engaged  in  the  grocery  and 
commission  business  in  this  city.  He  retired  from 
business  upon  being  elected  city  treasurer. 

“He  was  a  most  worthy  citizen,  a  good  man  and  a 
Christian  gentleman,  a  devoted  husband  and  father.” 

ARTHUR  KYLE  DAVIS-— 1892-1915 

Arthur  Kyle  Davis,  President  of  the  Southern  Col¬ 
lege  for  Girls  at  Petersburg,  Virginia,  from  1883,  was 
born  in  Petersburg  July  16,  1867 ;  son  of  Williams 
Thomas  Davis,  a  former  steward  of  Washington 
Street  Church.  Author  of  Virginia  and  the  Metho¬ 
dists.  Chairman  Virginia  War  History  Commission. 
Resigned  to  become  a  member  of  Grace  Episcopal 
Church  in  1915. 

WILLIAM  FRANCIS  DREWRY*— 1894- 

William  Francis  Drewry,  physician,  born  in  South¬ 
ampton  Co.,  Va.,  March  10,  1860.  Assistant  physi¬ 
cian,  1886-96,  superintendent,  1896 — ,  Central  State 
Hospital,  Petersburg,  Va.  One  of  organizers  State 
Conf.  Charities  and  State  Tuberculosis  Association, 
and  president  at  one  time;  chairman  of  Petersburg 
War  Commission  on  Law  Enforcement  and  Moral 
Welfare ;  contract  surgeon  U.  S.  Army  and  psychiatrist 
Virginia  National  Guard  (1917)  ;  president  (1910)  of 
American  Medico-Psychological  Association,  and  of 
the  National  Association  Care  of  Epileptics,  and  of 
the  Virginia  Medical  Association  (1908). 

Author  of  pamphlets  and  articles  on  medical  and 
sociological  subjects,  especially  insanity,  epilepsy  and 
feeble-mindedness. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  223 


W.  J.  PURDY*— 1895— 

A  wholesale  commission  merchant  and  business 
man. 

Treasurer  of  the  church  for  sixteen  years  and  at 
this  time  lay  leader. 

He  married  Miss  Sallie  Harrison,  a  daughter  of 
William  Thomas  Harrison,  and  a  granddaughter  of 
B.  P.  Harrison,  one  of  the  former  leaders  of  Wash¬ 
ington  Street. 

A  leader  in  church  and  business  circles. 

F.  0.  STRAILMAN*— 1898- 

Vice-president  and  manager  of  the  Petersburg 
Builders  Supply  Co.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in 
all  business  and  civic  matters,  and  is  fearless  and 
earnest  in  presenting  his  views. 

He  has  given  his  services  to  Washington  Street 
Church  in  many  capacities  with  great  enthusiasm  and 
loyalty. 


SAMUEL  W.  BOOTH*— 1898— 

He  is  the  son  of  P.  H.  Booth,  a  former  steward  of 
the  church,  and  has  faithfully  served  the  interests  of 
Washington  Street. 

He  was  born  in  1845,  and  has  lived  his  life  in  Peters¬ 
burg,  being  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  first 
with  his  father  and  then  with  his  brother,  M.  M.  Booth, 
under  the  name  of  P.  H.  Booth  Sons. 

One  of  his  daughters,  Mrs.  Whitworth  Willson,  is 
an  active  worker  in  the  women’s  activities  of  the 
church. 


224 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


JAMES  M.  TURNER*— 1899— 

James  Moore  Turner  was  born  in  Greenville  county, 
Va.,  and  moved  to  Petersburg  in  infancy. 

He  is  engaged  in  the  printing  business,  being  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Kirkham  &  Co. 

He  married  Miss  Sue  Elizabeth  Robinson,  June  29, 
1918. 

He  was  elected  a  steward  during  the  pastorate  of 
Rev.  George  Wray,  and  served  many  years  as  assistant 
treasurer.  He  is  at  present  (1928)  chairman  of  the 
Fuel,  Light  and  Sexton  Committee.  He  and  his  wife 
are  both  active  workers  in  the  church. 

WILLIAM  HOWARD  WILLCOX*— 1899-1901-1920 

William  Howard  Willcox,  born  in  Petersburg,  Va., 
February  26,  1876.  Son  of  John  T.  and  Laura  Brooks 
Willcox.  Married  Flora  Hough  Devlin,  of  New  York 
City.  Secretary  of  Sunday  school  for  many  years. 
President  of  Harlow,  Willcox  &  Co.,  furniture  dealers. 
Member  of  City  Council.  He  is  a  leading  citizen  of 
the  city. 

THOMAS  JAY  BURGESS— 1902-1923 

Thomas  Jay  Burgess,  dentist.  Has  been  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  Washington  Street  M.  E.  Church,  South,  since 
1888,  at  which  time  he  and  his  wife,  who  was  Mary 
Stuart  Moore,  daughter  of  an  old  Methodist  family, 
joined  the  Church  under  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Sledd. 
In  the  year  1902  he  was  elected  a  steward  and  also 
served  for  several  years  as  assistant  treasurer. 

E.  H.  EDMUNDS— 1904-1913 

Born  in  Brunswick,  Va.,  1849,  lived  in  said  county 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  then  went  into 
North  Carolina. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  225 


Married  Miss  Telia  A.  Barner,  of  Dinwiddie  county, 
in  1875,  and  farmed  in  Dinwiddie  county  for  several 
years,  after  which  he  moved  to  Petersburg  and  went 
to  work  with  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company 
as  foreman,  which  business  he  followed  for  twenty 
years,  after  which  time  he  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  in  Petersburg  until  1912.  In  1913  he  left 
Petersburg  and  moved  to  Halifax  county,  Va.,  and 
then  to  Norfolk,  Va. 

JACOB  SAVAGE— 1904-1920 

Jacob  Savage,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Hannah  Savage, 
was  born  in  West  Bromwich,  England,  on  April  4, 
1853. 

He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1870.  His  second 
wife  was  Mary  D.  James,  of  Dinwiddie  county,  Va. 

He  came  to  Petersburg  in  1901,  where  he  has  lived 
since  then.  He  was  a  most  interested  worker  in  the 
first  improvements  of  the  church,  but  became  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  Highland  Church  in  Colonial  Heights  when  his 
work  was  needed  there.  Washington  Street  gave  of 
its  members  to  this  church  and  also  presented  it  with 
its  pipe  organ  when  it  installed  a  larger  one. 

He  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  sawmill  business 
in  Petersburg  for  many  years,  and  always  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted  city. 

WALTER  ASHBROOKE  WILLIAMSON*— 1904— 

Walter  Ashbrooke  Williamson,  son  of  Charles  T. 
and  Theresa  J.  Williamson,  wTas  born  in  Petersburg,. 
Virginia,  March  8,  1877. 

He  joined  Washington  Street  Methodist  Sunday 
School  at  five  years  of  age.  United  with  the  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  M.  E.  Church  by  baptism  and  on  pro¬ 
fession  of  faith,  March  9,  1890.  Was  elected  Super- 


226 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


intendent  of  the  Sunday  School  November  1,  1904, 
which  position  he  has  held  for  nineteen  years. 

He  married  Miss  Bessie  A.  Cooper,  adopted  daugh¬ 
ter  of  H.  F.  Munt  in  1901. 

No  history  of  Washington  Street  Church  could  be 
complete  without  mention  of  the  work  done  by  Walter 
Williamson  in  the  Sunday  school.  The  Sunday  school 
is  more  and  more  recognized  as  the  fundamental  work 
of  the  church,  and  old  Washington  Street  owes  him  a 
debt  of  gratitude  for  the  building  of  its  membership, 
beginning  with  the  children  just  out  of  their  cradles, 
and  keeping  them  interested  in  the  study  of  the  Book 
until  they  close  their  eyes  in  death.  He  has  done  and 
is  doing  a  great  work. 

M.  B.  COGBILL* — 1907 — 

Maclin  Boisseau  Cogbill,  son  of  Peter  Fitz  Cogbiil, 
born  January  28,  1872;  occupation,  shorthand  re¬ 
porter.  Joined  Washington  Street  Church  1900; 
taught  in  Sunday  School  for  many  years;  present 
assignment  on  Fuel  and  Light  Committee ;  member  of 
“Old  Ship”  Bible  Class  and  assigned  on  Membership 
Committee. 


E.  G.  TEMPLE— 1908-1917 

Edward  Graves  Temple  was  born  in  Prince  George 
county,  Va.,  in  1856.  He  gave  great  promise  as  a 
youth,  and  developed  in  his  mature  years  into  a  most 
successful  business  man.  He  is  prominent  in  the  busi¬ 
ness  life  of  Petersburg. 

He  married  Miss  Sue  Bland,  daughter  of  Dr.  Theo- 
dorick  Bland,  of  Prince  George  county,  Va. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  227 
R.  MILFORD  WOODY* — 1911 — 

R.  Milford  Woody  is  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
H.  P.  Harrison  Company,  Inc.,  wholesale  confectioners 
and  fancy  grocers. 

Born  March  4,  1876,  oldest  child  of  Thaddeus  M. 
and  Alice  Harrison  Woody. 

Married  Miss  Annie  Lou  Blanks,  daughter  of  James 
B.  Blanks,  a  steward  of  this  church. 

He  is  one  of  the  most  popular  young  business  men 
of  Petersburg  and  is  highly  regarded  for  his  business 
integrity  and  judgment. 

FRANK  MAY  HOBBS*— 1912 

Frank  May  Hobbs,  born  August  29,  1870,  the  son 
of  Robert  Franklin  Hobbs,  who  was  born  in  Howard 
county,  Md.,  and  came  to  Petersburg  about  1854,  and 
of  Gabriella  Sturdivant,  of  Petersburg.  Have  been  a 
member  of  Washington  Street  Sunday  School  since 
childhood,  and  a  member  of  Washington  Street  Church 
about  twenty-eight  years.  He  married  Annie  Louise 
Twitty,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  F.  Twitty ,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  Virginia  M.  E.  Conference. 

President  of  the  Charles  Leonard  Hardware  Co., 
wholesale  and  retail  hardware.  He  has  been  connected 
with  this  firm  since  his  seventeenth  year.  He  is  promi¬ 
nent  in  the  business  world  and  holds  positions  of 
honor  in  various  commercial  organizations. 

STEPHEN  HENLEY  TURNER— 1912-1914 

Son  of  John  R.  Turner,  a  former  steward;  born  in 
Petersburg,  December  28,  1875.  Attended  Randolph- 
Macon  College  for  three  years.  Joined  Washington 
Street  Church  in  1887 ;  member  of  the  choir  for  many 


223 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


years;  particularly  interested  in  the  Sunday  school, 
serving  as  teacher  and  assistant  superintendent.  Was 
married  in  1904  to  Miss  Florence  H.  Wilson,  the 
church  organist.  Moved  to  Richmond  in  1914  and  a 
few  years  later  to  New  York,  where  he  now  resides. 

EARL  MONROE  STOKES— 1913-1915 

Earl  Monroe  Stokes,  born  August  25,  1881,  Jackson- 
boro,  S.  C. ;  educated  at  Carlisle  Fitting  School,  Bam¬ 
berg,  S.  C.,  and  Trinity  College,  Durham,  N.  C.  En¬ 
tered  the  employ  of  the  British-American  Tobacco 
Co.,  Ltd.,  at  Durham,  N.  C.,  in  March,  1905,  later 
becoming  manager  of  the  Duke-Durham  Export 
Branch.  Was  transferred  to  Petersburg  in  October, 
1910,  as  manager  of  the  Petersburg  Branch,  then  to 
Richmond  in  November,  1915,  as  manager  of  the  Rich¬ 
mond  Branch  of  the  British-American  Tobacco  Co., 
Ltd. 


MARSHALL  W.  PYNE— 1913-1918 

Marshall  W.  Pyne  was  born  at  Harper’s  Ferry, 
1850,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Bushrod  and  Adeline  Pyne. 
His  father  was  a  successful  merchant  there.  His 
mother  was  Miss  Adeline  Snook,  a  direct  descendant 
of  the  Everhearts  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Her  great¬ 
grandmother  was  Princess  Marie  Sabilla  Keyser,  con¬ 
nected  with  the  reigning  family  of  Germany.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  Mrs.  Pyne  and  her  fam¬ 
ily  had  to  flee  from  Harper’s  Ferry  and  they  refugeed 
in  Richmond. 

Mr.  Pyne.  onlv  a  little  boy,  not  thirteen,  secured  a 
a  position  with  the  government  and  worked  in  the 
armory.  In  order  to  continue  his  studies  he  attended 
night  school  until  the  war  closed. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  229 

When  quite  young,  not  more  than  twenty-one,  if 
that,  he  took  charge  of  an  office  in  Petersburg  for  the 
Singer  Company,  and  then  had  the  agency  here  for 
pianos  and  organs,  and  afterward  went  into  business 
for  himself  with  a  music  and  art  store. 

WALTER  YOUNG  BURGE*— 1913— 

Walter  Young  Burge,  son  of  A.  Y.  and  Anna  C. 
Burge,  was  born  in  Brunswick  County  October  12, 

1861. 

He  lived  in  Blackstone  for  a  number  of  years,  first 
as  clerk  and  then  owner  of  a  store. 

He  was  an  active  member  of  Crenshaw  Methodist 
Church. 

On  April  3,  1888,  he  married  Miss  Ada  Helen  Mc¬ 
Daniel  and  in  a  short  time  moved  to  Petersburg.  He 
is  the  president  of  W.  Y.  Burge  Co.,  Inc.,  one  of  the 
leading  retail  firms  of  the  city. 

Soon  after  moving  to  this  city  he  united  himself 
with  Washington  Street  Church,  where  he  has  given 
much  of  his  time  and  thought  to  the  interests  of  this 
church.  He  is  the  present  treasurer. 

JOHN  JAMES  JONES*— 1913— 

John  James  Jones,  son  of  Dr.  James  H.  and  Mary 
Ayres  Jones.  Born  in  Brunswick  county,  Va.,  Feb¬ 
ruary  26,  1871.  Moved  to  Petersburg  in  1890,  going 
into  the  tobacco  business,  which  business  he  has  fol¬ 
lowed  continuously  ever  since.  Connected  himself  with 
Rocky  Run  Methodist  Church  in  early  life,  transfer¬ 
ring  his  membership  to  Washington  Street  M.  E. 
Church  after  coming  to  Petersburg. 

Was  made  a  steward  in  this  church  in  1913  by  Dr. 
George  E.  Booker  and  later  trustee,  chairman  of  the 
Finance  Committee,  which  place  he  has  filled  for  twelve 
consecutive  years. 


230 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


Was  married  in  1902  to  Miss  Mary  Brink  Worth, 
only  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  B.  Worth,  of  Peters¬ 
burg,  Va. 

E.  W.  BUTCHER,  JR.— 1914-1918 

Date  of  birth,  April  23,  1876;  son  of  E.  W.  and  Ida 
Amelia  Butcher.  Joined  the  church  under  Dr.  Bledsoe 
and  active  in  church  and  Sunday  school  continuously 
until  1920. 

He  is  now  connected  with  the  Weisberger  Company 
in  Richmond,  Va.,  in  its  accounting  department,  and 
prior  to  this  work  was  with  the  Seward  Trunk  and 
Bag  Co.,  of  Petersburg.  Married  Mary  E.  Culbreth 
April  6,  1904,  at  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

ROBERT  MATTHEW  CRADDOCK— 1914-1923 

Robert  Matthew  Craddock  was  born  at  Mannsboro, 
Amelia  county,  Va.,  on  August  14,  1855,  and  died  in 
September,  1923.  He  was  the  fourth  son  of  Daniel 
and  Sarah  Bass  Craddock,  and  a  descendant  of  Colonel 
William  Craddock,  who  came  to  Virginia  in  Colonial 
days,  and  was  granted  by  King  George  a  large  tract 
of  land  near  Jetersville.  Va. 

He  received  his  early  education  in  the  county  schools 
near  his  home,  and  after  a  course  at  Virginia  Poly¬ 
technic  Institute  he  came  to  Petersburg  in  1881  and 
engaged  in  the  tobacco  business. 

He  joined  Washington  Street  Church  during  the 
pastorate  of  Dr.  W.  G.  Starr. 

In  January,  1913,  he  married  Miss  Elizabeth  W. 
Bradbury,  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Annie  E.  P. 
Bradbury. 

Mr.  Craddock’s  business  ability,  conservatism  and 
unflinching  honesty  gained  for  him  the  respect  and 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  231 


confidence  of  his  business  associates,  and  his  genial 
disposition  and  warm  heart  endeared  him  to  a  wide 
circle  of  friends. 

PATRICK  HENRY  DREWRY* — 1915 — 

Patrick  Henry  Dr e wry,  member  of  Congress,  and 
lawyer,  born  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  May  24,  1875.  Mar¬ 
ried  Mary  E.  Metcalf,  of  Palmyra,  Mo.,  of  an  old 
Methodist  family.  Has  three  children,  the  eldest  be¬ 
ing  a  member  of  this  church.  He  is  a  grandson  of  P. 
H.  Booth,  a  former  steward  of  Washington  Street 
Church.  Author  of  some  monographs  on  historical 
subjects,  and  contributor  to  historical  magazines. 

H.  D.  WOLFF*— 1916— 

Herbert  DeGrange  Wolff,  son  of  Rev.  James  H. 
Wolff,  of  the  Baltimore  Conference  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South,  was  born  in  Springfield,  W.  Va.,  in 
1876,  educated  at  the  Shenandoah  Valley  Academy, 
Winchester,  Va.,  and  at  the  University  of  Virginia, 
where  he  received  the  B.  A.  and  M.  A.  degrees.  He 
was  instructor  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  Kings  Mt.  Mili¬ 
tary  Academy,  Yorkville,  S.  C.,  and  in  Milwaukee 
Academy,  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  was  principal  of  high 
school  in  Berrvville,  Va..  and  since  1907  has  been  con¬ 
nected  with  the  schools  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  where  he 
has  been  principal  of  the  high  school  since  1913.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  Washington  Street  M.  E.  Church 
since  1907. 


W.  W.  HINES— 1917-1919 

W.  W.  Hines  was  born  in  Southampton  county, 
Va.,  April  21,  1869,  and  came  to  Petersburg  in  1889. 
After  various  business  connections  he  went  in  the 


232 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


paint  and  oil  business  with  W.  W.  Presson  as  a  part¬ 
ner,  January  1,  1900,  under  the  name  of  W.  W.  Hines 
&  Co.,  which  business  he  is  now  operating  successfully; 
the  people  having  confidence  in  his  business  integrity 
and  judgment. 

H.  W.  TALLEY*— 1917- 

Dr.  Herbert  W.  Talley  is  one  of  the  leading  dentists 
of  the  State,  possessing  the  confidence  of  all. 

He  takes  great  interest  in  the  work  of  the  church, 
and  is  active  and  faithful  in  its  service. 

He  married  Miss  Bessie  Birdsong,  who  is  an  ardent 
and  enthusiastic  co-worker  with  her  husband  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  welfare  of  Washington  Street 
Church. 

J.  A.  BAIRD*— 1917— 

James  Andrews  Baird  was  born  at  Fort  Mason, 
Texas,  in  1874,  and  was  reared  in  Asheville,  N.  C. 
His  great-grandfather  was  the  first  settler  to  cross  the 
mountains  into  North  Carolina  and  founded  the  city 
of  Asheville. 

He  is  an  electrical  engineer  and  was  educated  at 
the  Universities  of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee.  At 
present  he  is  general  manager  of  the  Interurban  Elec¬ 
tric  Railway  System  of  Petersburg. 

He  married  Miss  Lillian  Irving  Longley,  and  with 
her  enthusiastically  aids  all  the  undertakings  of  the 
church. 


R.  H.  MANN*— 1918— 

Richard  H.  Mann  was  born  in  1870,  and  has  lived 
in  this  city  since  boyhood.  Of  great  mental  energy, 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  233 

he  studied  and  read  law,  while  engaged  in  railroad 
work,  and  has  risen  to  the  top  of  his  profession  in  this 
section  of  the  State. 

He  was  Commonwealth’s  Attorney  of  Petersburg 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  served  as  U.  S.  District 
Attorney  during  the  period  of  the  war  with  Germany. 

He  has  been  active  in  Sunday  school  work,  and 
teaches  the  “Old  Ship  of  Zion”  Bible  Class  in  Wash¬ 
ington  Street  Church  with  great  success.  He  is  a  trus¬ 
tee  and  vice-chairman  of  the  Board  of  Stewards. 

JAMES  I.  JOYNER*— 1918— 

James  I.  Joyner,  born  July  7,  1877,  in  Southampton 
county,  moved  to  Norfolk,  1893,  and  entered  the  hard¬ 
ware  business.  Came  to  Petersburg  in  1906,  and  is 
president  of  the  Joyner  Hardware  Company,  which 
does  a  large  business  in  Petersburg  and  surrounding 
counties.  He  is  one  of  Petersburg’s  successful  young 
business  men.  He  is  treasurer  of  Sunday  school,  and 
active  in  other  branches  of  church  work. 

HOLMES  BOISSEAU*— 1919- 

Holmes  Boisseau  was  born  November  2,  1874.  Joined 
Washington  Street  Church  March  23,  1890,  and  has 
served  one  term  as  secretary  and  two  terms  as  presi¬ 
dent  of  the  Men’s  Bible  Class.  Now  treasurer  of 
Men’s  Club.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Goodwyn  Gilliam. 
Is  in  the  office  of  the  Seward  Trunk  and  Bag  Co.,  the 
largest  trunk  manufacturing  concerns  in  the  United 
States. 


LOUIS  LANGDON  KIDD*— 1919— 

Louis  Langdon  Kidd,  son  of  Richard  L.  and  Nettie 
A.  Kidd,  was  born  in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  February 


234 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


29,  1884.  He  was  elected  a  steward  of  this  Church 
in  1919,  his  father  having  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  before  him. 

He  is  vice-president  of  the  Old  Ship  of  Zion  Bible 
Class  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Belle  C.  Kidd,  is  superinten¬ 
dent  of  the  Primary  Department  of  the  Sunday 
School. 

He  is  an  officer  of  T.  F.  Heath  Company,  a  large 
grain  concern. 


W.  T.  BAUGH*— 1919— 

Walter  Thomas  Baugh  was  born  in  1875  and  has 
lived  in  this  city  all  his  life,  where  he  has  made  a 
reputation  as  a  good,  conservative  business  man.  He 
is  the  manager  of  C.  C.  Alley,  Inc.,  wholesale  confec¬ 
tioners,  known  throughout  this  section.  In  Peters¬ 
burg’s  social  and  business  activities  he  plays  a 
prominent  part. 

He  joined  Washington  Street  Church  under  Dr. 
Bledsoe  and  is  always  interested  in  its  work.  Jovial 
and  big-hearted,  no  social  activity  of  the  church  is 
complete  without  him. 

GRAY  M.  SMITH— 1919-1921 

Gray  Magee  Smith  was  born  January  29,  1882,  son 
of  Dr.  William  A.  Smith  and  Mary  E.  (King)  Smith. 
He  married  Lily  D.  Elliott,  daughter  of  S.  S.  Elliott. 

He  is  an  officer  and  clerk  of  W.  Y.  Burge  &  Co., 
Inc.,  a  large  retail  clothing  business  on  Sycamore 
Street.  With  a  forceful,  attractive  personality,  he 
throws  himself  enthusiastically  into  the  things  in 
which  he  takes  interest,  and  is  a  leader  in  such  ac¬ 
tivities,  both  in  civic  and  religious  affairs. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  235 


J.  W.  FERRELL*— 1920— 

J.  W.  Ferrell  was  born  in  Durham,  N.  C.,  in  1884, 
and  married  Miss  Lulu  Poindexter,  of  Rocky  Mount, 
Va.  He  represented  the  American  Tobacco  Company 
for  eight  years,  and  then  went  into  the  real  estate 
business  for  himself.  He  built  up  the  Atlantic  Coast 
Realty  Company,  Inc.,  of  which  he  is  president,  and 
in  1916  moved  the  headquarters  of  the  company  from 
North  Carolina  to  Petersburg,  Va.  This  company  does 
an  extensive  business  and  is  known  all  over  the  South¬ 
ern  States  east  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

He  is  a  popular  and  enterprising  citizen,  and  stands 
high  in  the  estimation  of  Petersburg’s  people. 

He  joined  the  church  under  Dr.  John  B.  Winn,  and 
is  actively  interested  in  its  welfare. 

P.  H.  BOOTH*— 1920— 

P.  H.  Booth  is  the  grandson  of  P.  H.  Booth,  for¬ 
merly  a  steward  of  the  church  from  1860  to  1896.  He 
was  born  in  1878,  married  Miss  Carrie  Darden,  of 
Southampton  county,  Va.,  and  has  one  son. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  B.  D.  Booth  &  Co., 
which  does  a  large  wholesale  mercantile  business,  and 
is  one  of  the  leading^  young  business  men  in  Pe¬ 
tersburg. 

Although  a  comparatively  new  recruit  of  the  church, 
he  takes  intense  interest  in  its  affairs,  and  is  faithful 
and  active  in  its  work. 

A.  W.  GRAY*— 1920— 

Ashton  Wherry  Gray,  son  of  Somerville  and  Ida 
Morrison  Gray,  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  born  in  Peters¬ 
burg,  July  19,  1877. 


236 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


He  married  on  April  4,  1906,  Georgiana  Conway 
Waddill,  daughter  of  Sherman  and  Sarah  Atkinson 
Waddill,  of  Smithfield,  Va. 

Became  a  member  of  Washington  Street  Church 
at  age  of  fourteen.  Both  Mr.  Gray  and  his  wife  can 
always  be  relied  upon  to  do  their  part  with  zeal  and 
loyalty  for  the  good  of  the  church. 

He  is  the  controlling  factor  of  the  Gray  Feed  and 
Grain  Co.,  Inc.,  and  is  a  leader  in  business  and  politi¬ 
cal  circles.  Loyal  to  the  city  in  which  he  was  born, 
his  services,  in  its  civic  affairs,  are  always  in  demand. 

NATHAN  TOMS*— 1921— 

Nathan  Toms,  born  at  Hertford,  N.  C.,  April  28, 
1872.  Graduated  from  University  of  North  Carolina, 
1894.  Engaged  in  educational  work  in  North  and 
South  Carolina  from  1894  to  1912.  Entered  the  to¬ 
bacco  manufacturing  business  in  1912,  and  now  holds 
the  important  position  of  general  manager  British- 
American  Tobacco  Co.,  Ltd.,  in  Virginia. 

Mr.  Toms  has  steadily  risen  in  the  affection  and 
respect  of  the  people  of  Petersburg.  It  has  been  his 
policy  to  do  his  utmost  to  benefit  his  adopted  city,  and 
he  manifests  an  interest  in  its  affairs,  which  has  en¬ 
deared  him  to  its  citizens.  He  has  shown  the  same 
energy  and  loyalty  to  his  church,  and  his  unselfish 
devotion  is  appreciated  by  its  members. 

LOUIS  BROWNLOW— 1921-1923 

Louis  Brownlow,  city  manager;  born  Buffalo,  Mo., 
Aug.  29,  1879.  Reporter,  editor  and  correspondent 
for  various  newspapers.  Commissioner  of  District  of 
Columbia,  1915-20.  City  Manager  of  Petersburg, 
Va.,  since  1920.  Joined  Washington  Street  Church 
1920. 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  237 


H.  J.  TUCKER*— 1921— 

Herbert  Joseph  Tucker,  son  of  Charles  H.  and  Laura 
A.  Tucker,  was  born  in  Petersburg,  Va.,  July  4,  1874. 

Was  a  member  of  the  Washington  Street  Sunday 
School  from  early  boyhood  and  joined  the  church  un¬ 
der  Dr.  Starr  in  1894. 

Mr.  Tucker  is  a  liberal  contributor  and  an  active 
worker  in  the  activities  of  the  church.  He  can  always 
be  relied  upon  to  do  his  part — and  then,  a  little  more 
than  his  share. 

The  same  energy  and  honesty  and  fairness  and  lib¬ 
erality  in  his  business  relations  has  enabled  him  to 
build  up  one  of  the  largest  retail  and  department  stores 
in  Petersburg. 

I.  B.  DAVENPORT*— 1922— 

I.  B.  Davenport,  son  of  John  B.  and  Mary  A.  Dav¬ 
enport,  was  born  in  Goochland  County,  Virginia,  No¬ 
vember  7,  1858. 

Married  Miss  Rhea  Heckman,  daughter  of  Joseph 
H.  and  Mary  P.  Heckman,  of  Richmond. 

A  government  position  brought  him  to  Petersburg 
in  1921,  when  he  had  his  name  transferred  from 
Union  Station  Methodist  Church,  Richmond,  to 
Washington  Street  Church  and  in  October,  1922,  was 
elected  a  steward  of  the  church. 

In  the  mercantile  business  all  his  life,  with  the  ex¬ 
ception  of  the  seven  or  eight  years  he  served  the 
government. 

On  the  Finance  Committee,  the  Reception  Commit¬ 
tee  and  Building  Committee  of  the  church.  Has  re¬ 
cently  opened  a  community  bank,  and  holds  the  po¬ 
sition  of  cashier. 


238 


THE  STORY  OF  A  CHURCH 


CONCLUSION 

In  imagination  we  enlarge  the  auditorium  of 
Washington  Street  Church  and  there  is  seated  a 
goodly  throng  of  “those  that  have  gone  before.”  In 
the  body  of  the  Church  near  the  front  pews  are  Gres- 
sett  Davis  and  his  good  wife  Martha,  John  Cook  and 
his  wife  Ann,  William  Worsham  and  Sarah,  his  wife, 
Joseph  Harding  and  “Sister  Mary”  Harding,  his  wife, 
Nathaniel  and  Lucy  Parrott,  George  and  Peggy  Elli¬ 
ott,  and  others  of  that  first  congregation.  Behind 
them  come  Nathaniel  Lee,  Peyton  Lynch,  Samuel 
Hart,  Peter  McCulloch,  Beverly  Drinkard,  Thomas  A. 
Stroud,  G.  P.  Disosway,  Thomas  Branch,  Lewis  Mabry, 
Daniel  Lyon,  D‘Arcy  Paul,  B.  P.  Harrison,  and  their 
brethren  with  their  families,  come  from  the  spirit 
world  to  attend  this  celebration  of  their  beloved 
church.  The  muffled  sound  of  drums  seems  to  stir 
this  spirit  congregation,  and  there  file  in  George  B. 
Jones,  A.  B.  Mahood,  P.  H.  Booth,  Wesley  Grigg,  John 
W.  Bradbury,  Louis  L.  Marks,  W.  A.  Shepard,  R.  B. 
Davis,  Richard  A.  Harrison,  H.  G.  Leigh — and  many 
others,  who  faced  defeat  like  Christian  soldiers  and 
rebuilt  their  devastated  land  with  religious  faith.  With 
them,  but  not  of  their  time,  comes  Edward  M.  Barks¬ 
dale,  Jr.,  “Killed  in  France”  as  the  tablet  to  his  mem¬ 
ory  recites,  and  those  other  boys  who  received  the 
comforts  of  religion  in  this  old  church  and  pa¬ 
triotically  answered  the  call  of  duty  on  the  fields  of 
France.  All  of  the  dead — formerly  living  members  of 
this  church — are  back  again  in  spirit,  rejoicing  that 
th’s  old  church  will  go  on  forever  to  even  greater 
things  of  service  to  humanity,  even  though  its  mem¬ 
bers  must  put  on  the  shroud  of  immortality,  and  leave 


HISTORY  OF  WASHINGTON  STREET  CHURCH  239 

behind  them  only  their  record  of  work  done  faithfully 
in  the  service  of  the  Master. 

On  the  rostrum  are  John  Wade,  George  Shadford 
and  John  King,  Edward  Drumgoole,  William  Wat- 
lers,  and  Freeborn  Garrettson  and  James  O’Kelley, 
his  schism  forgiven  and  forgotten,  John  Easter  and 
John  Lindsay,  Maxey  and  Mead,  Hume  and  Walker 
and  Wright,  Jesse  Lee,  the  lovable  giant,  physically 
as  well  as  mentally,  Minton  Thrift,  Caleb  Ball,  Potts, 
Anderson  and  Cooper,  Fletcher  Harris  and  Heze- 
kiah  Leigh,  William  A.  Smith  and  David  S.  Doggett; 
Cowles  and  Dibrell,  John  E.  Edwards  and  Charles 
Hall,  the  beloved,  the  Duncans,  the  Bishop  prefer¬ 
ring  his  title  as  pastor  on  this  glorious  occasion,  Jas. 
A.  and  William  W.  Riddick  and  Blackwell  and 
Slecld  and  Bledsoe  and  Starr.  Near  Smith  and  Dog¬ 
gett,  are  Bishop  Wilson,  come  again  to  the  town  he 
loved  so  well.  Bishops  Galloway  and  Pierce,  Early  and 
Andrews  and  Capers  and  Soule  and  Payne,  their  souls 
filled  with  memories  of  that  epoch  making  but  heart¬ 
breaking  First  Conference  in  old  Petersburg,  and 
Bishops  McKendree  and  Asbury,  their  thoughts  far 
back  in  the  glorious  past. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  years  are  unrolled  on  the 
screen  of  the  mind,  but  the  tear-dimmed  eyes  of 
emotion  can  yet  visualize  the  “Theatre”  on  Old 
Street  with  the  auditors  listening  to  “the  truth  of  the 
Gospel  as  far  as  conversion,”  the  church  on  Harrison 
Street  yielded  with  patriotic  unselfishness  to  the 
soldiers  and  the  sick,  the  plain  frame  building  on 
Market  Street  where  many  met  God  face  to  face, 
the  old  brick  church  on  Union  Street,  where  angel 
wings  stirred  the  tense  atmosphere  on  a  momentous 
occasion,  and  now  the  chaste  purity  of  this  white 


240 


THE  STORY  Ob'  A  CHURCH 


and  gold  room  in  this  magnificent  building  erected  to 
the  Glory  of  God. 

They  rise  and  sing:  and  as  the  strains  of  “Praise 
God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow,”  float  up  to 
heaven,  in  its  dying  cadences,  there  comes  forward  a 
venerable  figure  with  upraised  hand  and  the  Bene¬ 
diction  falls  like  an  unction  on  saved  souls  from  the 
lips  of  “the  good  old  man,  Robert  Williams”: 

“The  Grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you 
all  now  and  forever.  Amen.” 


